Arizona Online Gambling
Arizona’s gambling laws do not address online gambling. Residents have no state-sanctioned or regulated online casinos inside state lines to play. There are also no prohibitions against playing on. The law in Arizona prevents any online gambling, punters have to be physically present at the place where they place the bets. This has led to the casinos resisting the switch to online gambling. While Pull-Tabs are a charitable gambling exception, they are not regulated by the Arizona Department of Gaming. For information about charitable gambling Pull-Tabs: Email: email protected Call: 1-866-785.
Arizona is more gambling friendly than some other states in the US, with nearly 30 Class II and Class III tribal casinos operating within its borders. There are also markets for a state lottery, charitable gambling, horse racing betting, bingo, and more.
However, there are not yet any Arizona online gambling laws that bring these games to residents’ homes and mobile devices in a domestic fashion. While retail betting is abundant, the lack of a local online option for these pastimes is decidedly inconvenient and incongruous with consumer habits of the 21st century. Yes, even out in the desert.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that those living in the Grand Canyon state have to dig themselves out of a hole, as there are plenty of legal online casino, sports betting, poker, and bingo options available at reputable international gambling sites that accept AZ players at just 18 and up.
Other Arizona Gambling Pages
Is Online Gambling Legal In Arizona?
Arizona gambling law does not specifically outlaw online gambling, but it doesn’t provide for any domestic options to participate in the pastime, either.
As a result, the only legal online gambling options for AZ players are currently those offered by legitimate Arizona online casinos, AZ online poker rooms, and Arizona online sportsbooks which are licensed, regulated and located outside of the United States.
Playing at these sites – so long as you’re at least 18 years of age – violates no state or US gambling laws.
There are several secure and reputable options recommended throughout this guide that provide safe Arizona online gambling environments. These operators are legally licensed and certified, and they’re closely monitored via strict regulation and industry watchdogs to ensure fair iGaming practices.
Arizona Social Gambling Laws
Arizona gambling law permits social gambling. Social gambling refers to gambling that is not run as part of a business or operated for a profit.
The players must compete against each other on equal terms – each must have an equal chance of winning or losing, and there can be no house entity that takes a cut or a “rake.”
Thus, things like home poker games are legal in Arizona if these conditions are met. Most states have similar (if not identical) social gaming laws.
Arizona Pari-Mutuel Gambling Laws
Pari-mutuel wagering is legal in Arizona, so you can bet on horses. In the 1950s, horse racing and dog racing were legalized in Arizona. However, greyhound racing is no longer offered in the state.
The Arizona Department of Gaming oversees horse racing in the state, and you can place bets at the horse tracks themselves or at any number of OTBs (off-track betting venues).
You can bet on horses online if you live in Arizona, but only if you do so at the most reputable international sportsbooks operating overseas. These sites offer racebooks with daily horse odds from tracks all around the US, Canada, Mexico, the UK, the Middle East, Australia, Japan, and more.
State Lottery Gambling In Arizona
The Arizona Lottery was approved by a statewide public initiative in November 1980. The referendum was passed by a slim margin, though subsequent referenda received more support.
In 2002, nearly 73% of residents voted in favor of extending the lottery for another 10 years. In 2012, a piece of legislation was passed which extended the lottery to 2035.
Gambling Casinos In Arizona
In most states, the minimum age for participating in the state lottery is 18. In a few states, though, the minimum age is 21, and Arizona is one of them. Interstate lotteries, like the Powerball and Mega Millions, are allowed in AZ.
Arizona Tribal Gambling Laws
In the early 1990s, the Indian tribes in Arizona received state permission to convert their bingo halls into Class II and Class III casinos. However, the state deferred, and the local tribes went on to install slot machines without any compacts with the state.
This lead to a legal battle, and a federal court held that the state must negotiate with the tribes per the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA, 1988).
Subsequently, in 1992, AZ started signing compacts with the Indian tribes. In 2002, voters were asked to decide whether or not to expand the compacts, which passed the referendum.
Presently, 16 federally recognized Arizona Indian tribes have compacts with the state, and most venues are proper Class III casinos with all the games you expect. There are currently 26 tribal casinos in AZ, though tribes are not allowed to offer online casino games.
Federal Online Gambling Laws Concerning Arizona
Presently, there are no USA federal gambling laws that prohibit participating in online gambling. The two federal mandates that are associated with online gambling – the Wire Act and the UIGEA – do not ban or limit access to the pastime in any way.
As a result, Arizona players who are at least 18 years of age are free to wager and win real money at legally licensed and regulated online gambling sites that are located outside of the USA.
These federal laws are limited only to gaming operators and banking institutions that are based in the United States, and they do not criminalize individual gamblers. This is why it is entirely safe to use any reputable online betting site like those listed on this page.
Resources For Arizona Gambling Laws
Players who want to review the official Arizona gambling laws can read them entirely at the government’s official online portal for the Arizona Revised Statutes. The section in question is 13-3301 et seq., which you can find here.
For the AZ laws regarding pari-mutuel horse racing betting, you can find detailed information in Title 5 of the same legal document.
FAQs for Arizona Gambling Laws
What are the consequences for illegal gambling in Arizona?
In Arizona, if you have been caught operating or contributing to any unlicensed gambling activities, you can be hit with a “promotion of gambling” felony charge that carries a jail term of more than one year.
However, these laws are targeted at those who facilitate unlawful gambling, not individual gamblers themselves.
Still, there is no reason to participate in AZ black market gambling when you can safely and legally play with overseas operators who offer hundreds of games, thousands of daily betting lines, and guaranteed payouts.
What makes social gambling different from other types of gambling?
Social gambling is legal in Arizona because it lacks the distinctions that qualify gambling enterprises as actual businesses.
The main difference between social gambling and illegal forms of gambling entertainment is that there is no house entity for the former. The host of the private dwelling or club where social gambling takes place cannot take a cut of the action, and all winnings must be risked – and paid out to – the players themselves.
What is pari-mutuel wagering?
Often used in horse and greyhound racing, pari-mutuel betting is a type of gambling activity where all bets are placed in a pool. Payouts are then divided up amongst all the winners.
Essentially, with this pool-based betting system, you’re placing a bet against all the other players instead of a bookmaker or the house.
Pari-mutuel gambling is typically allowed at the state level because wagers are not house-banked and the operators do not have the opportunity to earn more or less money depending on the results. They take a fixed percentage, and all remaining monies are paid out to winning tickets.
How old do I have to be to play the lottery in Arizona?
Arizona is somewhat unique among states in that residents must be at least 21 years old to play the lottery. In most states with lotteries, players only have to be 18.
Of course, if you’re between 18 and 20 years of age, you can play various lottery games at any respected offshore gambling site listed here.
Can I game online with websites that are based in Arizona?
No. Online simulated gambling – where no money is risked or won – is legal per AZ laws, but this isn’t really gambling at all.
Online Gambling For Real Money
For real-money online casino games, online poker, online sports betting, online bingo, and online horse racing betting, you must use a legitimate international gambling site like any service listed here.
*** Disclaimer: This site is intended only to provide cursory information about Arizona gambling laws. We do not provide legal advice or legal services of any kind. If you need professional guidance about Arizona gambling laws, please contact a qualified lawyer who specializes in the field.
It’s fair to say Arizona is a super-exciting place when it comes to gambling. Considering the state’s proximity to Nevada, it is by no means surprising to know that gambling is one of the Arizonans’ most favorite pastimes. Nevertheless, if we move on to talk about the laws, things suddenly become tricky and much more complicated.
Online gambling is still out
In theory, the state has strict laws that have not changed at all since the 1900s in terms of gambling. The Grand Canyon State has always intended to allow its residents to gamble because that’s what most Arizonans would have done anyway. The permissions have always been, however, limited to land-based casinos exclusively. Despite several strong attempts of legalizing online gambling, especially in early 2019 and 2020, Arizona’s gambling laws do not address online gambling. Residents have no state-sanctioned or regulated online casinos inside state lines to play.
In short, online gambling is still illegal under state law and the players will have to wait to get in a position to enjoy playing online blackjack, roulette, poker, baccarat, and sports betting (among other forms) legally from the comfort of their homes. The reality is somewhat different given everything mentioned above up for grabs for the bettors who can use off-shore online casinos to spin the reels or hit the blackjack tables.
Native American-run casinos
While the situation with online gambling is shady, the Arizonans are actually spoilt for choice when it comes to physical casino possibilities. Slots, poker, and all kinds of different table games are within easy reach across one of 24 casinos run by Native Americans (the state has more Native American land than any other US territory). The future of online gambling may well be in hands of such casinos whose efforts of moving the businesses online have the potential of encouraging lawmakers to react.
Sports betting bills
We’ve witnessed two attempts of introducing sports betting to the state in 2019 and 2020 respectively. Although this year’s push as somewhat stronger with two bills (one from Senate, the other from the House), neither has been taken into consideration yet. Based on this experience, we have reasons to stay pessimistic in regards to the online gambling legalization in the years to come.
Social gambling is permitted
For now, what the Arizonans can do is social gambling. It is the form of gambling where bettors compete with each other on completely equal terms, without any sort of house edge or rake. The benefit of such gambling has to be exclusively limited to money wagered.
Conclusion
To sum it all up, you can place any type of wager you wish as long as you are physically in the state, at brick and mortar casinos owned by Native Americans. Unfortunately, not even a single form of online gambling is permitted. The fans of casino games, sports betting, poker, and lottery are all in the same situation. While many other states made moves to react and adapt to the changes to the federal laws in terms of online gambling, based on everything written above we sincerely doubt Arizona will do so in the near future.
We can regard it as a sad scenario knowing Arizonans have the luxury of accessing more land-based casinos than most other states in the country. There are no adjustments to the legislation even on a horizon for now. If there were to be any, the Compacts would most likely allow only Native-American run casinos to host online services. We’ll keep tracking the situation and inform you as soon as we get any signs of improvements on the matter.