As regulated mobile sports betting apps continue to emerge across the country, the newest state to enter the market will be Arizona.
In April 2021, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed sports betting into law in the state. The months since have been spent finalizing licenses and regulations for the market. Upon its launch, the State will allow 20 Arizona online sports betting licenses, split between the state’s professional sports teams and federally recognized tribes.
Assuming the state government can finalize all the remaining regulation details, prospective bettors in Arizona will be able to place mobile bets on their favorite sporting events Sept. 9.
In anticipation of Arizona’s entry into the regulated sports betting market, BetArizona.com commissioned YouGov to run a survey among Arizona adults that explores the Grand Canyon state’s appetite for sports betting. The survey reveals how many Arizonians currently are active sports bettors, how many Arizona adults plan to become sports bettors and which activities they are excited to wager on.
How Many Arizonians Are Betting?
Arizona’s mobile sports betting market is still a month from launching, but that has not stopped Arizona adults from betting. The data shows that nearly 1-in-5 Arizona adults are already placing bets on offshore sites or in neighboring states with mobile betting options. This number will likely increase by 5% (approximately 280,000 people) when the market is live and residents will have regulated mobile betting available at their fingertips. The survey results show that among current sports bettors, 80% are at least somewhat likely to utilize Arizona’s legal mobile sports betting market. These figures show more than one million Arizona adults are likely to place tax-paying wagers in the state of Arizona.
How Often Will Arizonians Bet?
Of the Arizona adults surveyed, 1 in 5 of those who identified themselves as sports fans plan to wager on sports daily. More so, over half (54%) of Arizona sports fans plan to wager at least weekly on their favorite sporting events.
Crossing Borders to Bet
While Arizonians do not currently live in a regulated market, they do live in close proximity to two regulated states. In fact, the survey shows that 3-in-4 sports bettors have made the trip to Nevada or Colorado to wager on their favorite sports. The survey also found that very dedicated or “avid” sports fans are three times more likely to have traveled to place a bet than “casual” sports fans.
Betting Beyond Sports
Each state is responsible for handling legislation around mobile betting and deciding individual rules for their own markets. This means each state has different restrictions on betting and different offerings on events. Last year, with the absence of live sports due to COVID-19, many sportsbooks got creative with their offerings. We also saw bettors show enthusiasm for non-sports events such as reality television shows, award shows and elections. While betting on elections is incredibly popular in more mature gambling markets such as the U.K., legal betting for elections is not currently available anywhere in the U.S.
The survey showed that 38% of sports bettors would wager on award shows such as the Oscars or Grammy's, 44% of sports bettors would bet on reality TV shows and nearly one-half of all sports bettors in Arizona would bet on U.S. elections if given the option. Betting on college sports is not permitted in every state where legal mobile sports betting is offered, but the 4-in-5 Arizona sports bettors that would like to wager on college sports are in luck, because Arizona’s sports betting regulations allow for wagering on college sports.
Survey Details
BetArizona.com commissioned YouGov Plc to conduct this survey. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size is 1,005 Arizona adults. Fieldwork was undertaken between May 14 – June 1, 2021. The survey was carried out online and the figures have been weighted and are representative of all Arizona adults aged 18 and over. A sports bettor is defined as someone who selected “Yes, I do” when asked if they currently bet on sports. A sports fan is defined as a respondent to select at least “I am a little bit interested in sports” in a four-point scaled level of interest in sports question. An avid sports fan is defined as a respondent to select “This is one of my TOP interests” in a four-point scaled level of interest in sports question OR Those to select top box in a four-point scaled level of interest in sports question.
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