. Welcome To The New Age: Sports Betting Already Changing The Landscape In Arizona

Welcome To The New Age: Sports Betting Already Changing The Landscape In Arizona

Written By C.J. Pierre on September 15, 2021Last Updated on January 30, 2023
Arizona Sports Betting Off To Hot Start

Arizona’s first full weekend of constitutional sports gambling is underway. And things have gotten off to a fast start.

On September 9th, just as the NFL season was about to kick off, sportsbooks officially started taking bets. From that point on, we’ve observed the rest of the first week of the NFL, the US Open finals, NBA finals, a complete line-up of college football games, an MLB event, and many more.

Excited Arizona bettors were ready to dive into the action. With sportsbook and sports betting software dominating TV advertisements, it was hard to resist. Moreover, ads are swarming on social media pages.

The question at hand is, will the wildfire-like momentum of sports betting and rsquo in Arizona always subside?

In less than a week, Arizona sports gambling ascends to the top five markets.

Just under a week ago, gambling was legalized in the Grand Canyon State. Furthermore, this sector has already ascended to the top five gambling markets in the US.

GeoComply, a geolocation service provider for sportsbooks, reported that approximately 6.1 million bets or sports betting log-ins in Arizona took place from its launch day on Thursday to Sunday afternoon.

Consequently, the state ranked third nationwide among states where sports betting is legal, just behind New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, and one spot away from Illinois.

In Arizona, customers made 10% of all legal online gambling transactions in the first four weeks, which led to the creation of 271,000 new accounts.

These numbers may embody the present hype and excitement around sports betting, akin to the “new kid in school”. Nevertheless, national trends suggest that these figures will continue to escalate. Geocomply reports that the US sports betting industry just had its most active four-day stretch ever, coinciding with the start of the NFL season.

Lindsay Slader, the managing director of entertainment for GeoComply, states that consumers have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to legally place sports bets, particularly in emerging markets such as Arizona, due to high demand.

Arizona is showing that the demand for sports betting in the eastern US is rather slow. In its opening weekend alone, the state quickly became the fourth largest in terms of purchases. Honestly, we haven’t witnessed anything quite like it.

Advertisements for sports wagering are inundating Arizona radios and social media.

The grand opening of the temporary retail sportsbook outside Chase Field in downtown Phoenix, Arizona, was marked by the notable presence of comedian JB Smoove. Serving as the spokesperson for Caesars, he significantly impressed the local crowd as he helped kick off the festivities. However, this wouldn't mark the end of the sports betting emperor’s visibility to Arizonans.

Throughout the day during both college football and NFL games over the weekend, advertisements featuring JB Smoove promoting the Caesars Sportsbook app were broadcasted. However, he wasn’t the only celebrity appearing on TV to encourage viewers to place bets.

For instance, WynnBET Sportsbook ran advertisements featuring the team of NBA legend Shaquille O'Neal and actor Ben Affleck. BetMGM, not wanting to be overshadowed, ran commercials with Academy Award-winning actor Jamie Foxx.

Furthermore, during games, sponsorships with various sportsbooks were mentioned by the broadcast teams. DraftKings, for example, appeared multiple times on the screen during Monday Night Football to advertise its free pools on NFL games.

It was hard to overlook AZ mobile betting apps on social media. Whether you’re scrolling through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or any other social media platform, ads from all Arizona sports betting operators are ubiquitous. The majority of these advertisements are promoting bonus bets and odds boosts for new customers.

Undoubtedly, Arizona has become a target in the global sports betting scene. It’s been less than a week and with the impending opening of the Arizona Cardinals’ home, it appears substantial bets are on the horizon.

Pictures taken by Mark Zaleski for AP
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Pierre, C. J.

CJ Pierre, a multimedia journalist, currently lives in Phoenix-Metro Area, Arizona. With over ten years of experience, he has reported on sports and news for both television and online platforms. A native of Minneapolis, Pierre is an alumnus of Minnesota State University, Moorhead. Throughout his career, he has covered high school, college, and professional sports. He has also worked as a writer and videographer. Pierre has notably followed and reported on the soccer teams of the Arizona Cardinals, Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Vikings, and North Dakota State University.

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