Weekly News – 04/13/2021

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

THIS WEEK IN LEGAL SPORTS BETTING - ARIZONA SPORTS BETTING NEWS!

April 13th, 2021 Weekly Report

Now that we are pushing forward into spring, many people are wondering how sports betting will look when the summer comes. Well, lucky for us all, some big moves took place this week in legal US sports betting! From Arizona and Maryland to more, keep reading to see which states have made moves to implement legal sports betting.

If you want to find our more on some major topics not covered in this article you can check out the rest of VegasInsider with our exclusive bet365 bonus code, BetMGM bonus code or PointsBet promo code for example!

CONTENTS

• Arizona Gets a Boost
• Maryland on the Move
• Final Thoughts

STATES MAKING MOVES — ARIZONA SPORTS BETTING GETS A BOOST

The state of Arizona has seen another step forward in its goal of legal Arizona sports betting. The state Senate in Arizona passed a piece of legislation named HB 2772, which is an identical piece of legislation to SB 1797.

The bill was passed by a vote of 23-6. But, that is a great margin considering the bill had an emergency clause that required two-thirds of the vote in order to enact the bill. Now, the bill is making its way to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey’s desk to be signed into law. Governor Ducey is expected to sign the bill, which will legalize more than just Arizona sports betting.

HB 2772 legalizes Arizona sports betting, Keno, daily fantasy sports, as well as mobile draw. The Arizona state House had approved HB 2772 on March 4th. However, a historical horse racing item had held up the sports betting bill up until last week.

Before Governor Ducey is able to sign the Arizona sports betting bill into law, there needs to be approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, but that is expected to happen. But, the Arizona Governor is expected to sign the bill into law any day now. The hope is to get Arizona sports betting into action before the NFL betting season begins.

You may be wondering about the journey that Arizona sports betting has taken to get to this point. The new compacts between Arizona and its gaming tribes have been in negotiations for a few years now, as current compacts expire in the year 2022.

The state of Arizona is looking to bring gaming in the state into the new century as well as to have a new source of revenue into the state. The hope and the projection by the Senate Fiscal Note is that the bill will be able to generate $34.2 million in general fund revenue annually by the year 2024.

The Arizona sports betting bill as it stands right now would allow for twenty licenses. Ten of these licenses would be earmarked for tribal operators in the state of Arizona. And, ten of the licenses would go to the professional sports teams in the state of Arizona.

These licenses include both retail as well as mobile operations in the state. And, only one license would be needed for tribes that have multiple gaming locations in order to operate legal retail sportsbooks.

Arizona has been one of the only states left that does not have legal daily fantasy sports. So, the legalization of daily fantasy sports in the state by the bill is a big step for the state.

The city of Phoenix is a big sports market considering it has four major sports teams in the four major sports leagues in operation in the states. Plus, Phoenix is currently experiencing a population boom. It is expected that sports betting operators BetMGM, FanDuel, as well as DraftKings will be early entrants into the Arizona sports betting market.

The tax rate for legal sports betting in the state of Arizona has yet to be set. The gaming regulators in the state will be the ones finalizing the license fees, tax rate, and other details for the sports betting market.

MARYLAND SPORTS BETTING LEGISLATION IS ON THE MOVE!

Maryland could see legal sports betting in the state by the fall of 2021, this year! Right now, Maryland sports betting legislation is making its way to Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to be signed into law. The House of Delegates passed Maryland sports betting through a bill back on March 11th. The bill was passed by a vote of 130-9.

Since then, the State Senate of Maryland has been working on its own sports betting legislation, with amendments to HB 940. Some big amendments were made to HB 940, in regards to the number of licenses that would be available mostly. Then, a few days ago, the Senate passed the Maryland sports betting bill in a unanimous vote of 47-0.

Then, the Maryland State House also ratified the Senate amendments and passed the bill, in a close vote of 122-16. Before the State Senate vote, the two chambers had come to an agreement.

Back in November 2020, Maryland voters voiced their approval at the ballot box when they voted to legalize Maryland sports betting. But, it was not a requirement for the legislature to enact legal Maryland sports betting this year.

The bill will actually be put into effect as soon as it is enacted, because the state Senate has made HB 940 into an “Emergency Bill.” The state House has made it clear that their goal is to launch MD sports betting by the kickoff to the 2021 NFL season.

There are a number of uncapped licenses in the Senate bill, in order to make sure the market is kept as free as possible. And, this is also with the hope to grow both female-owned businesses as well as minority-owned businesses. The final bill is a compromise between the Maryland state House and the Maryland state Senate proposals.

Six Class A licenses will be reserved for the six casinos that are currently in operation in the state of Maryland. Plus, three Class A licenses will be reserved for the three professional sports teams and stadiums. And, a Class A license will go to the Maryland Jockey Club, wich also includes Pimlico Race Course as well as Laurel Park.

The Senate Budget and Taxation Committee had originally voted for unlimited mobile licenses as well as Class B licenses. However, amendments that were added to the bill later limited the mobile licenses to 60 and the Class B licenses to 30.

This is in addition to seven named entities, which include the four off-track betting parlors, the Maryland State Fairgrounds, as well as two commercial bingo halls with 200 or more machines. The other Class B licenses will be up for other businesses that have physical locations in the state of Maryland. There will be competitive bidding for the thirty available licenses.

Now, you may be wondering about Maryland mobile sports betting. Both Class A license holders as well as Class B license holders will be able to apply for mobile licenses in the state. These mobile licenses will grant them the ability to conduct online sports wagering. The amount of licenses will be revisited again in December 2025.

The state Senators felt it was important to increase the amount of licenses available in order to get Maryland sports betting launched in the state even quicker. The hope is to enact Maryland sports betting in time to capitalize on the 2021 NFL football season. Professional sports teams in the state will be able to receive full-year sportsbooks.

Class A licenses would be given to the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens as well as the Washington Football Team as well as the MLB’s Baltimore Orioles. Plus, there is also language in the bill that would account for the event that Maryland adds another professional sports team. The bill allows the state of Maryland to tax sports betting revenue at a rate of 15%.

CONCLUSION

So, as you can see, many states have made moves to legalize sports betting this year. With Maryland sports betting as well as Arizona sports betting forthcoming this year, we have seen some big moves. And, hopefully these two states will inspire more legal sports betting legislation in other states. Keep coming back each week to see which states are making moves in the legal sports betting world!

Written by Allie Nelson, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman