Arizona’s laws are often confusing as there is a great selection of games to be enjoyed in tribal casinos yet activities such as Daily Fantasy Sports betting is considered illegal.

In this state, you can legally enjoy lottery games, charity casino and bingo games. There are also legal betting options for pari-mutuel bets on horse racing and greyhound racing.

Horse and greyhound racing has been around since the ’50s with the Arizona Racing Commission created in 1958. From the start, the industry held a gaming monopoly in the state until other forms of gambling were legalised. These racetracks were for racing only with no option of adding slot parlours. Today you will find only two live racetracks still running.

In 1980 a state lottery was approved making Arizona the first state west of the Mississippi River to approve a lottery. The lottery was approved in November but tickets only went on sale the following year. In Arizona, traditional scratch-off tickets are sold and lotto draws are held. The good news for lotto players is that the state also opened its doors to interstate lotteries allowing residents to take part in big lotteries like the Powerball and Mega Millions.

In 1988, when the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act was implemented, big changes took place. According to the Regulatory Act, tribes are required to make a compact with the state before opening a casino in their reservation. It also stated that only games legal within the state could be available on a reservation without a gaming pact which at the time included bingo, off-track betting and lotteries.

The tribes didn’t adhere to the rules and opened fully-stocked slot parlours shortly after. In 1992, Governor Fife Symington ordered a shut down on these slots operations which seemed to fall on deaf ears. There was no compact made prior to the opening of these slots parlours and the governor called in the FBI to raid the casinos and shut down the gaming operations.

The tribes met the police and FBI heavily armed blocking the roads to their casinos. After a three week standoff, there was a negotiation period which led to the governor agreeing to compacts with 16 of the 22 Arizonan tribes. In 2003 the compact was extended to all tribes apart from the Hopi tribe.

As has been mentioned, Charitable gaming forms part of Arizona’s law and only registered nonprofit groups can offer the games. The games allowed include bingo, pull-tabs and raffles. In 2019 sports betting was legalised but it can only take place in native kiosks. 

Arizona is one of the more clever states when it comes to their laws and regulations. Arizona permits many forms of gambling including greyhound racing, horse racing, simulcast wagering at tracks and taverns and off-track betting via internet companies. These racing wagers have to be through pari-mutuel pools and bettors have to be 21 years or older.

The Arizona State Lottery sells lotto and scratch-off tickets to those aged 18 years or older. No lottery sales are permitted via the internet. Any land-based casinos operated in Arizona have to be on tribal lands. On top of that, there has to be a compact between the state and the tribe. There are no tax requirements on gaming revenue but residual taxes are earned from other operations. Restrictions are in place on the games allowed in the casinos.

For poker games, you can visit legal poker rooms in tribal casinos. Arizona permits all major forms of poker games on tribal lands. The only illegal form of poke is no limit poker. When participating in poker games you can make a maximum bet of $500 which includes original bets and raises. Tournaments including no-limit tournaments are legal in Arizona and the maximum bet does not include the tournament buy-in.

The only table games allowed in Arizona is those that involve skill such as blackjack. Any other table games are illegal. Electronic table games can, however, be licensed as they fall under the slot machine category. To play any table or casino games you need to be aged 21 or older.

Other than that, all licensed charities can raise funds using games of chance. The games allowed for fundraising include bingo, raffles and pull-tabs. Charities have to be owned by non-profits or they cannot operate such activities.

All tribal casino gaming activities are regulated by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and tribal casinos can operate freely as long as there is a compact with the state. Any other forms of gambling activities in Arizona are licensed and regulated by the Arizona Department of Gaming. In most cases, games are just legalized to increase state revenue and for charitable purposes.