Arizona Sports Betting Rolls Out Thursday as Judge Thwarts Last-Minute Effort to Block
Sports betting is set to give up away Th inwards Grand Canyon State inwards time for the NFL season. That’s after a Maricopa County Superior Court judge declined to emerge a temporary injunction on Monday for a folk that claimed the body politic acted inappropriately inward legalizing the wagering opportunity.
Arizona Superior Court Judge King James D. Smith issued the ruling on Labor Day after holding a audition that forenoon with representatives from the Yavapai-Prescott American Indian Tribe and Gov. Doug Ducey’s office.
The tribe, which filed its lawsuit nearly deuce weeks ago, claimed Grand Canyon State lawmakers forgotten the state’s makeup when it passed House Bill 2772. The lawmaking authorized the country to laurels upward to 20 licenses dual-lane 'tween the state’s tribal nations and Arizona’s pro sports teams.
Ducey signed that government note into natural law on Apr 15. Because it contained an exigency clause, the jurisprudence took effectuate immediately. That allowed body politic officials to start working straight off on implementing sports betting regulations and overseeing the licensing process. It also enabled Grand Canyon State to have online sports betting applications upward and running inward to a lesser extent than five months.
In to the highest degree cases, laws submit gist 90 years after the Arizona Legislature session concludes.
Judge Not Persuaded by Yavapai-Prescott Claims
In seeking the injunction, the tribal nation questioned whether the sports betting law really was an emergency, which, as the peak stated, “is necessary to preserve the public peace, health or refuge and is operative immediately” below Arizona law.
Tribal leaders also claimed the bank bill violated the state’s Voter Protection Act, as they claimed a referendum voters passed 19 years agone to pass agreements between the province and tribal entities also required voters to sanction any gaming expansion.
The Yavapai-Prescott also argued that the natural law position it and other federally recognised tribes at a disadvantage. Both the tribes and pro sports teams received 10 licenses, but in that location are currently simply viii pro sports teams and 22 tribes.
Smith said in his written parliamentary procedure that none of the arguments tribal leaders made warranted an injunction. He added that leaders did not supply any information to show up a potency economical red as a termination of not having get at to sports betting. Lastly, he indicated that the Yavapai-Prescott’s determination to hold off and single file the suit undermined any title it would follow harmed.
HB 2772 was introduced Feb. 3, 2021,” Smith wrote. “Gov. Ducey signed it April 15, 2021. The federation of tribes knew and so that the legislating took essence immediately. Nonetheless, the tribe waited more than quadruplet months to data file suit; it filed only when when this unexampled gambling anatomical structure was nearly to launch.”
The Yavapai-Prescott canful appeal the judge’s ruling.
Lawyers representing the Yavapai-Prescott did not bring back a message seeking point out on Tuesday.
Arizona Awarded 18 Sports Betting Licenses
According to the AZ Department of Gaming, 18 federally recognized tribes carry on gaming in the state. That includes the Yavapai-Prescott. The federation of tribes operates ii Class III casinos in Prescott, set almost 80 miles magnetic north of Phoenix’s Central City district.
Those casinos – Bucky’s Casino-Prescott Resort and the Yavapai Gaming Center – make a combined 485 Class III machines. Bucky’s also has septenary sap and II house-banked salamander tables.
The section proclaimed the successful sports betting applicants on Aug. 27 and allowed them to go marketing inward readying for Thursday’s launch.
Those certify holders and operator partners, if announced, are:
