Committee Passes Arizona Sports Betting Bill To House Floor

• The House Rules Committee in Arizona voted in favor of Bill AZ HB 2813 to move forward to the House Floor.
• The bill would make gambling on sporting events legal at retail locations in Arizona.
• The legislative session for the Grand Canyon State ends on April 25.

PHOENIX – House Bill 2813 to legalize sports betting in Arizona was passed by the House Rules Committee on Monday. The Committee ruled in favor of the bill by a vote of 5 YEAS and 3 NAYS.

AZ HB 2813 will now move to the House floor to be heard.

What Would AZ HB 2813 Legalize?

Arizona HB 2813 would make wagering on sporting events in Arizona legal at retail locations. These locations would be able to expand their businesses to include sportsbooks. Horse racing tracks are also eligible as sports betting venues as is stated within the bill. No online or mobile applications would be permitted.

On top of commercial locations being allowed to operate sports betting lounges, Tribal casinos would be allowed to do so as well with permission by the state. This could prove to be an issue down the line depending on what rules and regulations are set in place for legal sports betting and the rules and regulations of Tribal Gaming Compacts.

The two may differ causing friction in how Tribal businesses could offer sports wagers at their locations.

AZ HB 2813 continues to make its ways through the Committees and will now see its way to the House Floor. The Arizona Indian Gaming Association is sure to speak at the upcoming hearing to oppose the bill. They want to be included without needing permission from the state to open sportsbooks and would ask for such an amendment to be made to the bill before passing it into law.

The Bottom Line

During the hearing on Monday with the House Rules Committee, members said they would like to see many amendments made to the bill in the future should it move further through the House. Suggested amendments would occur once it receives it’s reading on the Floor. No date has been set as to when this will occur.

The last day of the legislative session in Arizona is April 25. With about six weeks left in the session, the Grand Canyon State will need to move quickly if they want to legalize sports betting in 2020.

If AZ HB 2813 passes its way through both the House and the Senate, AZ Governor Doug Ducey would need to sign off on the bill to officially make it a law.

Should all of these things happen, legal sports betting in Arizona could come in late 2020 to early 2021. Sports bettors in the state will know in less than two months whether betting on sporting events will be something they can do locally or if they’ll have to wait another year before the possibility opens up again.

News tags: Arizona | Arizona Indian Gaming Association | AZ HB 2813 | Doug Ducey | House Rules Committee