Legalized sports betting has swept across the country in recent years with states legalizing the practice and casinos jumping in to offer live and online wagering. Arizona was one of those states and details emerged this week as to how the Ak-Chin tribe’s Harrah’s Casino in Maricopa County lost its sports betting license.
The story brings an interesting twist to the betting landscape and one of the rare cases where a gaming group was forced to exit the wagering market, according to reports.
“The ink of then-Gov. Doug Ducey’s signature legalizing sports betting had hardly dried when the tribe pounced to secure one of just 10 coveted licenses in 2021, this time rolling the dice on a burgeoning industry from the player’s perch at the poker table,” InMaricopa.com notes. “But lady luck frowned upon the tribe as it became the first and only in Arizona betting operator to lose its sports betting license.”
Details on a Lost Sports Betting License
Like many tribal groups, the Ak-Chin partnered with an online operator to offer sports betting in the state. The tribal group partnered with New York City-based Fubo Gaming, but that company exited the state earlier this year.
That left the tribe without mobile sports betting and the Ak-Chin ultimately lost the group’s sports betting license. The casino still offers a retail sportsbook with casino partner Caesars Entertainment, which owns the license for live wagering at the property. However, the company can’t simply take over the mobile wagering for the tribe apparently.
“Caesars can’t keep Ak-Chin’s mobile gaming afloat because the Las Vegas gambling powerhouse is already involved in a partnership with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix,” InMaricopa reports.
The Ak-Chin license is now being put up for auction for any other group that may want to offer mobile sports betting in the state. Arizona has seen big sports business since legalization with almost $10 billion wagered in the state since opening the betting windows.
The Ak-Chin aren’t giving up hope that the group might find a betting partner and perhaps get back in the mobile sports betting race. The tribe has offered no timetable, however, or how the group might re-enter that market.
Norfolk Officials Review Plans for New Casino
A new casino is coming to Norfolk, Virginia, and city officials recently were able to review plans for the new property. Plans call for construction of the first phase of the new HeadWaters Resort and Casino to begin later this year.
The second phase would begin about a year later with the entire project expected to be wrapped up in about two years from the start date. The group behind the venue would also build a temporary casino, with about two-thirds of that incorporated into the permanent casino as well.
“By law, you can’t operate a temporary casino for more than a year,” a development consultant for the new casino John Thompson told Norfolk’s architectural review board. “The legislature has said you may operate a temporary casino for 12 months. You can then extend that another 12 months if you are demonstrating to the lottery that you are complying with the requirements. And that’s what we plan to do when we’re ready to go.”
The current version of plans for the casino detail 90,000 square foot property and along with gaming space also includes a sports bar, lobby, 1,200-space parking structure, hotel, pool, spa, entertainment venue, and more.
The gaming space, lobby, sports bar, and parking would be part of the first phase of construction. The remaining features and amenities would be built in the second phase with the entire project checking in at a cost of $500 million, according to the Virginia Pilot newspaper.
“The Pamunkey Indian Tribe signed a development agreement with Norfolk to build the casino,” the newspaper noted. “Norfolk voters initially approved the gaming facility in a 2020 referendum. Since then, there’s been little movement on the project. HeadWaters submitted a development certificate application for the new plans in June.”
The plans now have to be approved by the architectural review board before moving on the city’s planning commission. Virginia is a growing casino market and the city of Danville recently saw the opening of a temporary casino operated by Caesars Entertainment until a permanent facility can be built. The company is planning a $650 million resort in Danville that’s expected to be finished sometime in 2024.
City officials in Richmond also recently placed the issue of approving a casino in that town back on the ballot. Voters narrowly rejected plans for a previous casino, but city officials believe now that they have selected an operator and have more concrete plans in place that voters may give the plan the go-ahead. The city selected RVA Entertainment as the property’s operator and the group has proposed a $562.5 million resort known as ONE Casino + Resort.
