Sahara Bets

Nick Makowitz Sports Betting Expert

8 minute read

Online Sportsbooks · Bonus Codes · Sahara Bets

Meruelo Gaming, in partnership with International Game Technology and the Arizona Coyotes, launched its Sahara Bets app in Arizona on January 12th.

The newest Arizona betting app will be legal to everyone in the Grand Canyon State, but it will provide unique experiences, betting opportunities, and more for fans inside Gila River Arena.

Alex Meruelo, owner of Meruelo Gaming and majority-owner of the Arizona Coyotes, also owns the Sahara Las Vegas and Reno's Grand Sierra Resort. He'll bring with him a strong reputation in the gaming industry and a breadth of industry knowledge.

We've seen similar partnerships between sports betting platforms and professional sports teams in the past couple years, even in Arizona. The Arizona Cardinals partnered with BetMGM, the Phoenix Mercury with BallyBet, and the Phoenix Suns with FanDuel.

Collaborating with sports teams and exposing fans to in-arena sports betting experiences seems to be a win-win for the team and the betting platform.

Fans who already enjoy betting will have a fun, unique opportunity to raise the stakes of the game they attend. Fans unfamiliar with, or inexperienced in, the world of sports betting will have the opportunity to dip their toe in the water live in the arena.

It brings an entirely new element to attending a sporting event, and that's exactly what Alex Meruelo and the Arizona Coyotes plan to offer Arizona's hockey fans.

“Giving Arizona Coyotes fans the option to place pre (game) and in-game wagers online will increase fan engagement and boost the already contagious excitement of every play on the ice.”

Any reputable sportsbook worth its salt will offer promotional offers for new and existing users; here's a breakdown of what's available with Sahara Bets.

BONUS CODE

According to the Sahara Bets promotions page, there is no available promo or bonus code at this time. Despite that, there is a week-long promotion that lasts until January 19th.

New users who sign up, make a deposit, and place a $20 wager on an event with odds of -200 or shorter, will be entered in a raffle to receive one of three prizes.

3rd place will receive two tickets to the 2022 Waste Management Open for each day of the tournament and a $50 bonus bet.

2nd place will receive six Loge tickets to any 2021-2022 Arizona Coyotes home game and a $50 bonus bet.

1st place will be getting an absolute haul.

That haul includes the following:

Two tickets to the 2022 NHL All-Star game in Las Vegas
A two-night stay at the Sahara Las Vegas
$400 resort credit
$600 airfare credit
Ground transportation to and from the Harry Reid International Airport and Sahara Las Vegas
A $100 bonus bet.

WELCOME OFFER DETAILS

While the only welcome offer available is the week-long promotion mentioned above, it's very possible Sahara Bets provides more typical welcome offers when that one ends.

The new sportsbook will still need to entice prospective sports bettors to play on their platform after January 19th. At that point, we might see welcome offers like deposit matches and bonus-back bets.

Considering its partnership with the Coyotes, it's possible Sahara Bets' new-user offers are centered around the NHL, especially as the regular season approaches the home-stretch.

HOW TO SIGN UP WITH SAHARA BETS ARIZONA

Registering an account with Sahara Bets is as easy as it can be.

Download the Sahara Bets app from the App Store or Play Store
In the app, select the "Join Now" option
Enter personal information such as name, email, address, and the last four digits of your SSN
Once taken to the Sahara Bets Play+ subsite, enroll in Sahara Bets Play+
Enter the cashier portal, make a deposit, and start betting!

SAHARA BETS ARIZONA PROS AND CONS

New sports betting apps always have flaws upon launching with the exception of a few industry-leaders. Sahara Bets is not yet an industry-leader, but it is offering an overall solid product to potential Arizona sports bettors.

Pros:

Smooth, easily navigable app interface
Will offer unique betting opportunities to fans at Arizona Coyotes home games
Ownership experience in gaming industry

Cons:

Limited, overly-complex deposit and withdrawal system
Scarce market offerings
No live chat customer support feature

SAHARA BETS ARIZONA MOBILE APP REVIEW

The Sahara Bets mobile app has a smoother and more user-friendly design than a lot of new sportsbooks do at this stage of their product cycle.

One appealing feature is the tab dedicated to Arizona sports teams. Here, users can find a list of all upcoming sporting events involving any Arizona college or professional teams.

Like many sportsbook apps, Sahara Bets makes the hot-button pages the most easily noticeable. Tabs for promos, the user's betslip, and a comprehensive list of all the apps' offered sports are available at the bottom of the page.

There are also multiple places to navigate to any live sporting events.

The only downside of the app itself is that users have to scroll a long way to find the FAQs. That's the only place to find customer support information, so it would be more helpful if it were more easily accessible.

Nitpicking aside, the Sahara Bets app is a better product than many new sportsbook apps are when they launch.

IS SAHARA BETS ARIZONA SAFE?

International Game Technology, a renowned gaming tech company, is handling the backend technology for Sahara Bets. Having a reputable tech partner makes Sahara Bets a safe option for Arizona bettors.

SAHARA BETS ARIZONA LEAGUES AND MARKETS

LEAGUES

Sahara Bets, as almost all sportsbooks do, covers the basics. It offers betting on professional leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL, and its college offering includes NCAAB and NCAAF.

It also provides bettors with the opportunity to place wagers on soccer leagues in North America, Europe, and Africa. Some new operators don't branch out of those major leagues, but Sahara Bets does.

If you follow combat sports, you'll be happy to find boxing and MMA as part of Sahara Bets' offering. Lastly, Arizonans will also have the ability to bet on tennis and golf.

MARKETS

Similarly to its league offerings, Sahara Bets covers the basics with regard to markets. Dissimilarly, however, Sahara Bets does not offer the same depth in its markets.

Straight bets, parlays, round robins, teasers, are covered, but beyond that, there isn't much. There are championship futures and a handful of game props for most sports, but there is an evident lack of player props.

There are no point, rebound, or assist props available for fans to bet during Phoenix Suns games, and there are no touchdown, yardage, or reception props for die-hard Cardinals fans to bet on.

The absence of player props is not make-or-break for most bettors, but the player prop market is certainly growing. It's especially popular for high-profile sporting events, including the NBA, NFL, and NHL playoffs.

PAYMENT OPTIONS

Within the Sahara Bets Play+ subsite, users can add funds to their account via credit or debit card, or PayPal. The same methods are used for withdrawal.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Users can navigate to the FAQ page within the Sahara Bets app which will take them to a list of questions. In a question about potential deposit issues, users will find two customer support phone numbers and two email addresses.

There are separate phone numbers and email addresses for Sahara Bets Play+ accounts and Sahara Bets wagering accounts. The two accounts intersect from the user's perspective, but depending on the issue at hand, the user may have to contact one support team versus the other.

Sahara Bets does not currently have a live chat feature for users.

SAHARA BETS ARIZONA FAQ

HOW LONG HAS SAHARA BETS BEEN AVAILABLE IN ARIZONA?

Sahara Bets went live in Arizona on January 12th.

IS THERE A MINIMUM DEPOSIT REQUIREMENT?

Yes. Bettors are required to deposit a minimum of $10.

AM I ABLE TO BET ON ARIZONA COLLEGE TEAMS?

Yes. Although some states have regulations in place forbidding in-state users to bet on their hometown college teams, Arizona is not one of them.

FINAL THOUGHTS ON SAHARA BETS ARIZONA

While Sahara Bets is at least on par with, or ahead of, most new sportsbook operators upon launching, they'll need to be creative to attract bettors in a congested Arizona market.

Industry leaders like FanDuel, DraftKings, and BetMGM are available in Arizona and have practically unmatchable spending power and established customer bases. Sahara Bets' will have to use its partnership with the Arizona Coyotes to its advantage.

Being able to offer unique, in-game, in-arena experiences to fans will likely prove to be the X-factor if Sahara Bets is successful.

That, and owner Alex Meruelo's existing Las Vegas business endeavors, will allow the company to offer promotions and packages that other operators cannot.

Overall, SaharaBets has a solid product in its early stages, and it should only grow from here. Arizonans should be excited about the competitive sports betting market and look to take advantage of the experiences SaharaBets will offer.

We'll be sure to keep you updated as their offering expands!

Media News

MEDIA APR 15, 2024

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Nick Makowitz

In his spare time, Nick likes digging into NFL and NCAAB betting data, going to breweries with friends, and trying out any and every Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh. More from Nick Makowitz