Arizona operators generate combined $777m in first two months of market opening
Grand Canyon State regulator releases delayed revenue reports for September and October as top-three win big
Arizona sports betting firms generated a combined $777.2m during the first two months of the Grand Canyon State’s licensed market, according to the latest data from the Arizona Department of Gaming.
Retail and mobile sports betting operators generated $291.2m in gross event wagering receipts during September, nearly doubling a month later in October, when $486m was generated.
Eight operators reported wagers in the debut month of September, with US market leaders DraftKings generating $97.7m, FanDuel’s retail and mobile sportsbooks generating a combined $60.1m and BetMGM receiving wagers amounting to $58.9m in the period.
September, which marked the debut of licensed sports betting in the state, also saw $31.3m given to Arizona players in free bets and promotional offers. A combined $259m (both retail and mobile) was paid out to players in winnings during the 30 days of September.
Nine operators reported event wagering receipts during October, with DraftKings ($151.4m) and FanDuel ($115.9m) pushing through the triple-digit wagers barrier for the first time, beating BetMGM, which could only generate $92m in the same period.
In tandem with these increased receipts, the combined amount of both retail and mobile winnings paid out to players also rose to $448.5m in October.
However, in contrast with September, free bets and promotional offers given and taken by bettors fell to $26m during October.
Arizona’s five licensed fantasy sports operators generated just $447,503 in adjusted revenue during September, a figure which dropped to $447,224 a month later in October. Fantasy sports operators paid $3.9m in contest entry fees in September, rising to $4.3m in October.
Sports betting and fantasy sports operators paid $15m to Arizona’s general fund over September and October, with Grand Canyon State operators paying $14m in license fees over the period.
Arizona Department of Gaming director Ted Vogt welcomed the positive debut made by the state in its first two months of operation.
“Arizona’s event wagering and fantasy sports is off to a strong start here in the state and will only increase as the market matures,” Vogt said.
“We worked diligently with the public and stakeholders to efficiently and responsibly set up these industries in just under five months, and we are starting to see the culmination of this hard work,” he added.