Kindred Group Partners With Quechan Tribe For CA and AZ Launch

• Kindred Group partnered with Quechan Tribe of Arizona and California.
• The goal is for a western launch using these two states as the starting ground.
• Neither state has launched legal sports betting as of yet.

PHOENIX – Kindred Group has officially partnered with Quechan Tribe of Arizona and California, for a potential expansion into the western sports betting market.

Kindred Group has already seen the success of its Unibet sportsbook in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Indiana but has yet to launch its operation in any state on the west coast.

While neither Arizona nor California have legal sports betting in their lawbooks, this deal will allow Unibet market access should either or both states approve sports betting regulations.

The new partnership with Quechan Tribe will span over 10 years and has options for extending even further included in the partnership is market access through the tribe for both mobile and retail sports betting as well as iGaming.

“Going west is truly exciting and the partnership with Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation will grant Kindred access to two key states in the US market,” said Manuel Stan, SVP US, Kindred Group. California is likely to become one of the largest markets in the world, with yearly revenues expected to pass $2bn while Arizona, is expected to reach $200m yearly sports betting revenues at maturity. Securing early access to these two key states puts us in a great position to prepare a successful launch together with a great partner with a strong local presence.”

Neither state has passed any laws yet to allow Unibet to operate, but sports betting in Arizona is likely to happen first. There is currently a draft of a new bill in play that is being supported by Governor Doug Ducey.

The Arizona bill is in its earlier stages, with 2021 being the earliest Arizona sports betting could launch. No California sports betting sports betting bill has managed to pass in the Senate or House in the past, but there is optimism going forward.

California lawmakers could be looking to recoup from the losses suffered in 2020 from either the COVID-19 shutdowns or the damages caused by the wildfires. Should a new bill make its way to a legislative session, it may have a chance. However, CA tribes are working on getting tribal-only sportsbooks on the 2022 November ballot and have enough signatures to put it on there.

This partnership is a preemptive strike by Kindred Group to be established in these markets even before they launch legal sports betting. Time will tell if this move bears fruit.

News tags: Arizona | California | Jordan Joaquin | Kindred Group | Manuel Stan Quechan Tribe | Phoenix | sports betting | Unibet