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Arizona Launches Guide To Safe Betting Ahead Of NFL Season

Ziv Chen

Last Updated: August 23, 2024 1:20 PM EDT • 1 min 51 sec read.

The Arizona Cardinals celebrate a touchdown by quarterback Clayton Tune as we look at the Arizona safe betting guide recently released.
The Arizona Cardinals celebrate a touchdown by quarterback Clayton Tune. Photo by: Grace Smith/Indy Star/USA TODAY Network.

With the 105th NFL season kicking off on September 5, the Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) has released "Bet Smart: Your Guide to Legal and Responsible Betting." The guide emphasizes responsible gambling practices and the importance of using legal sportsbooks, like our best sports betting sites.

"As the excitement builds, we want to remind every Arizonan to place their bets wisely and within the legal boundaries to keep the experience safe and enjoyable,” said Jackie Johnson, the CEO of ADG.

This is the third year the ADG has to betting legally and responsibly since the state launched sports betting in Sept. 2021. 

Sports Pools

The “Sports Pools - Know What Rules to Follow” section details the legalities of social gambling in the Arizona sports betting market. As per Arizona law, the guide highlights that social gambling can’t be conducted as a business, hosts must pay out all of the money collected in the pool to the winner, players must compete on equal terms, and only participants can win. 

It also highlights how you can spot illegal gambling sports pool operations, such as unequal odds, ‘voluntary’ or ‘suggested’ participation fees, required minimum purchases (such as food or beverages), pool administration costs, and underage participants. 

Responsible Betting

The guide goes on to highlight the importance of responsible gambling, especially as sports betting is now legal in Arizona and, therefore, more widely accessible to those who may not have previous experience with gambling. 

Similar to the guidelines detailed at online sportsbooks and casinos, the “Responsible Betting - What to Keep in Mind” section lists advice from the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) Have a Game Plan, Best Responsibly campaign. This advice includes setting budgets, understanding the different types of bets and odds, using only legitimate and licensed sportsbook operators, and using gambling as entertainment rather than making money.

The responsible betting section also includes links to the ADG’s list of approved event wagering and fantasy sports operators and to the AGA’s responsible gambling website. 

Concluding the guide is further advice for readers who are concerned about someone else having a gambling problem, such as who to call or text and the ADG’s problem gambling URL. 

Arizona Sports Betting

Sports betting became legal in Arizona in April 2021 after Governor Doug Ducey signed HB 2772 into law. The state’s official betting market went live five months later, in time for the beginning of the 2021-22 NFL season. 

This change followed the US Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992, allowing individual states to decide on their own sports betting laws.

Today, several Arizona sports betting apps, including BetMGM, bet365, Fanatics, DraftKings, FanDuel, and others, offer Arizona sportsbook promos. Earlier this month, the ADG awarded sports wagering licenses to Sporttrade and Plannatech, bringing the total number of active market operators to 18. This came just a month after Betway revealed its plans to leave the US market.

Written By:
Ziv Chen
Ziv has over two decades of experience in the igaming and sports betting industry, having served in senior marketing and business development positions with both B2C and B2B companies, including Playtech and Microgaming. In 2019, Ziv decided to pursue his passion for writing and became a fulltime industry journalist, covering casino, sports, and gambling business news. He’s specialties include casino games and technology, US state gambling regulation, company performance, as well as gambling affiliates and marketing. As a Pitt graduate, Ziv is a diehard fan of all Pittsburgh sports teams, with the Steelers at the top of the list. In his free time, he enjoys reading crime fiction, biographies (mainly of sports personalities, but not only) and American history. Ziv’s Favorite quote: “We're going to pursue perfection, knowing full well we won't catch it, but we're going to relentlessly chase it," Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach.