Arizona Coyotes Partner With SaharaBets Sports Betting Site
The strong Arizona sports betting market is about to gain another operator, with the expected launch of SaharaBets on Wednesday, January 12. In the leadup to the launch, SaharaBets announced a partnership with the Arizona Coyotes of the NHL – a partnership that, as you’ll soon see, was a foregone conclusion.
“SaharaBets brings the excitement and reputation of the iconic SAHARA Las Vegas to sports fans here in Arizona,” said SaharaBets President Andrew Patterson. “As the sports betting landscape continues to evolve in the Valley, SaharaBets looks forward to collaborating with the Coyotes organization to engage and interact with sports fans in fun and unique ways.”
“The Coyotes are dedicated to providing innovative and entertaining experiences for our great fans,” said Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez. “Our partnership with SaharaBets will offer next-level gaming experiences for fans who want to unleash their competitive spirit.”
All that said, SaharaBets isn’t the standard sports betting operator.
SaharaBets Is A Combination of Disparate Parts
SaharaBets isn’t possible in every other legal betting locale and directly results from Arizona’s sports betting law. The law allows team owners to operate sports betting sites. Couple that with Alex Meruelo’s business assets, the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, and Meruelo Gaming, which owns the famed Sahara Casino, and you get the foundation for a SaharaBets.
Eilers & Krejcik noted in a recent EK&G Line Newsletter, that this is only the second instance of a professional sports team owner operating an online sportsbook. Houston Rockets and Golden Nugget Online Gaming owner Tilman Fertitta is the other example.
The Zeitgeist
E&K Gaming also touched on something Betting USA has explored, the mashup between sports and sports betting.
As E&K Gaming put it:
“SaharaBets is likely to raise fresh questions regarding the rapidly deepening relationship between U.S. sports stakeholders and the sports betting industry, we note that team owners operating online sportsbooks is not unprecedented (see, e.g., the Coates family, which has ownership stakes in bet365 sportsbook and English professional soccer team Stoke City).”
And in my words:
“… the partnerships between athletes, teams, and leagues are something of a ticking time bomb that could lead to a collapse in fans’ confidence in the product and the possibility of increased oversight and regulation – something regulators are already forewarning the industry to get out in front of.”
The Arizona Sports Betting Market Is Growing Fast
Arizona has been a bright spot in a very bright US sports betting landscape.
The state flirted with $500 million in handle in its second month and has generated nearly $68 million in revenue in its first two months.
Arizona’s sports betting law allows for 20 licensees, ten tribal operators, and ten licenses tied to sports franchises, facilities, or designees. With the addition of SaharaBets, just two licenses (both in the latter category) remain.
Tribal sports betting operators in Arizona:
- Fort Mojave – SuperBook
- Navajo Nation – N/A
- Quechan Tribe – Unibet
- Tonto Apache – Churchill Downs
- Tohono O’odham – N/A
- Hualapai Tribe – Golden Nugget
- San Juan Southern Paiute – Digital Gaming
- San Carlos Apache Tribe – WynnBET
- Ak-Chin Indian Community – Fubo Sportsbook
- Fort McDowell Yavapai – Betfred
Sports Organization operators in Arizona:
- Arizona Cardinals – BetMGM
- Arizona Diamondbacks – Caesars Entertainment
- Phoenix Suns – FanDuel
- Arizona Coyotes – N/A
- Phoenix Mercury – Bally’s Corporation
- TPC Scottsdale – DraftKings
- Phoenix Raceway – Penn National Gaming
- Arizona Rattlers – Rush Street Interactive
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Steve Ruddock is the content director for BettingUSA and the Editor-in-Chief of Gaming Law Review.
Steve has covered the legal and legislative developments in the US gambling sector for more than a decade for online and print publications.
