Hard Rock Digital to launch sportsbook in Arizona
Seminole Gaming subsidiary partners with The Navajo Nation in Grand Canyon State amid Florida legal dispute
Hard Rock Digital has launched its sportsbook mobile app in Arizona, in partnership with local tribal gaming operator the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (NNGE).
The NNGE, as an enterprise of the Navajo Nation operates five gaming and hospitality facilities across Arizona and New Mexico.
Hard Rock’s sportsbook also operates in New Jersey and Iowa through the Hard Rock Sports & Casino NJ and the Hard Rock Sportsbook Iowa apps, respectively.
The Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized Native American Nation in the US with an enrolled membership of approximately 401,000 and trust lands totaling 27,000 square miles
Hard Rock Digital executive managing director and CEO Marlon Goldstein welcomed the launch in the Grand Canyon State.
Goldstein said of the partnership: “We’re thrilled to partner with the NNGE to provide Arizona sports bettors with a fun and engaging gameday experience through the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app.
“The Hard Rock brand is known worldwide for legendary hospitality and entertainment, and we’re excited to deliver those experiences to Arizonans digitally with unrivaled mobile sports betting,” Goldstein added.
Arizona sports betting law calls for 20 licenses to be made available: 10 for the state’s tribal operators and the other 10 for professional sports teams and venues.
A total of 18 licences were confirmed by the Arizona Department of Gaming in August, with the market an extremely competitive one for operators including BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings and FanDuel.
Arizona’s sports betting handle hit $466m in November 2021, with total bets for the first three months of operation exceeding $1.2bn.
The launch in Arizona comes amid an ongoing legal dispute in Florida over Hard Rock’s owners, the Seminole Tribe and their 30-year gaming compact with the Sunshine State.
The compact was sensationally annulled by US Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on the grounds that it violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA), and the Wire Act in November.
Hard Rock Digital shuttered its Florida sportsbook in December, but has appealed against the decision and the case itself is still ongoing.