Discussions For Sports Betting In Arizona Come Up Dry; AZ Tribes Against The Bill

PHOENIX – Residents that are hoping to see legal sports betting come to Arizona may be in for a longer wait than they anticipated. Even though a Senate bill that would legalize the activity was introduced late last month, the bill has been once again postponed this week due to Tribal opposition.

Ironically enough, the bill would give Native American Tribes exclusive rights to the activity. 

Arizona Senator Sonny Borrelli introduced AZ SB 1158 with the intent to have sports bets placed on tribal land and by sports gambling kiosks located at certain establishments such as bars and horse racing tracks.

The kiosks would be owned by the Native American tribes and would count against the total number of slot machines that they are allowed to have under their current gaming compact with the state.

However, the Senate Public Commerce Committee has postponed any serious discussion for the bill twice in the past week due in large part to opposition from three major tribes. 

Those tribes are the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation, and the Gila River Indian Community. Borrelli insisted that the bill could pass even with their opposition.

“They think it should be negotiated in the compact, which is furthest from the truth. It has to be done legislatively…They’re trying to hijack this issue to strengthen their own position, which weakens the position of the smaller tribes,” Borrelli said.

Although, the idea of a new gaming compact may not have come from them. Shortly after the federal law PASPA was overturned last year, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey tweeted the potential for it to happen.

“We have been working on a modernized gaming compact. This ruling gives Arizona options that could benefit our citizens,” Ducey wrote.

Governor Ducey has not spoken on the subject recently, and as of now, there is no clear date for when the bill will be formally discussed. If state lawmakers want the bill passed, they will have to do so before this year’s legislative session ends in late April.