Debate on bill to legalize sports betting in Arizona postponed

A bill which would bring sports gambling to Arizona and provide exclusive rights to Native American tribes has been put on the backpack.

On Jan. 23, 2019, three Arizona lawmakers including, Republican Sen. Sonny Borrelli, Rep. Leo Biasiucci (R) and Rep. Mark Finchem (R), released SB 1158. Under the law, federally recognized tribes having a gaming compact would be approved to operate sports gambling  in their land-based casinos in the state.

Not tribal lands just :

Presently in Arizona, there are a total of 24 gaming facilities which are controlled by 16 federally recognized tribes.

While the lucrative activity would be illegal by others, controlled sports gambling in the state would not be restricted to tribal lands. The bill would allegedly allow for kiosks or similar apparatus to be set up inside of bars and other establishments that serve liquor, like airport lounges and social clubs.

Industry law::

The sector would be overseen by the Arizona Department of Gaming, which would wield some discretion over its own administration. Revenue tax would suit neighboring Nevada’s sports gambling rate, in a maximum rate of 6.75 percent.

But, based on Cronkite News via the Phoenix Business Journal, on February 7, 2019, the Commerce and Public Safety Committee eliminated the statement in the agenda for discussion in the Arizona Senate, since, said Borrelli, prior to any vote that there needs to be amendments and revisions made.

Clause removal:

Borrelli said… “Regrettably, I sort of put the cart ahead of the horse.

“I have to choose the emergency clause off the bill to provide the Department of Gaming enough time to come up with the rules to execute this particular game. No doubt they will form of cut-and-paste exactly what Nevada does, he clarified.

Borrelli initially introduced the bill with an emergency clause, which would have demanded a two-thirds majority in both the House and the Senate and the Senate ’s trademark would have taken immediate impact. But, by removing the clause, only a majority of votes is required and it would not be capable of going into effect until the legislative session was ended for 90 days.

Tribal contributions:

According to the Arizona Department of Gaming, under its present Tribal-State Compact, last year’s aggregate tribal contributions tallied approximately $107 million at the Grand Canyon state. Some $94 million or 88 percent of total contributions, were obtained by the Arizona Benefits Fund, which in addition to education, allocates monies for tourism, wildlife conservation and injury and crisis services.

Rapid expansion:

To nobody ’s no surprise, that the appetite for legalized, state-regulated sports gambling from the U.S. Has escalated exponentially, with the May 14, 2018, U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning the national ban spawning new legislation in many states such as Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Rhode Island.

Together with the gaming commerce group, the American Gaming Association (AGA), estimating the U.S. has a $150 billion illegal sports gambling market, which will increase.