Tucson's sportsbooks not ready for Arizona's sports gambling kickoff

Beginning Thursday, sports betting will be legal in Arizona.

But in Tucson, expect a wait to do it in person.

Casino del Sol’s planned 4,000-square-foot sportsbook at 5655 W. Valencia Road is still being renovated and won’t be ready for Thursday’s big kickoff. Desert Diamond Casinos says it plans to open a pair of sportsbooks in Tucson and Green Valley and release a corresponding betting app this fall.

Casino del Sol’s sportsbook is “physically not ready,” said CEO Kimberly Van Amburg, citing COVID-19-related production delays and shortages. “It just takes time. We’re on track to be done in the next month or so.”

In fact, just two of the state’s in-person sportsbooks are expected to be open for in-person betting on Thursday — those run by the Diamondbacks and the Suns in downtown Phoenix.

The state’s tribes must agree to an appendix to the gaming compact before opening sportsbooks on tribal land, said Max Hartgraves, spokesman for the Arizona Department of Gaming.

Until then, Tucsonans can get their sports betting fix by downloading any number of online apps. MGM, Caesar's, FanDuel, Bally’s, DraftKings, Wynn and SuperBook Sports, among others, have been advertising their apps to Arizonans for weeks. Many are offering specials to join, ranging from free credits to risk-free bets; one is promising $1 in credit for every point scored by Arizona’s teams this weekend.

Their goal: Register new customers by Thursday night, when the Dallas Cowboys play the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first game of the NFL season. Arizona and ASU both play football games Saturday, and the Arizona Cardinals open their season Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Last month, the Tohono O’odham Nation — which owns Desert Diamond casinos in Tucson, Sahuarita and Glendale — received a license for off-reservation sports gambling.  In a news release, Tohono O’odham Nation Chairman Ned Norris Jr. called the tribe’s license “a significant step forward.”

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Treena Parvello, the director of government and public relations for the Tohono O'odham Gaming Enterprise, said the tribe plans to partner with "a leading sports betting platform" when it comes to sports gambling. The tribe's strategy "leverages our long-standing, well-regarded brand offering our valued Desert Diamond guests another gaming option for earning and redeeming rewards. We are confident that these significant changes will further enhance the diverse entertainment experience you can only find at Desert Diamond Casinos.”

The Pascua Yaqui tribe did not receive one of the 10 licenses to run an off-site app. That means all sports gambling at Casino del Sol will be limited to in-person betting on the reservation. (Bettors can download a separate app that allows them to place bets from their phones while on casino land, Van Amburg said.) The tribes’ new gaming compact allows the tribe to run a sportsbook on casino land without needing one of the state’s 10 licenses for off-reservation gambling, Van Amburg said.

The Yaquis were one of 16 tribes to apply for a tribal event wagering operator’s license. Six were shut out.

“We’re disappointed that we didn’t get one,” Van Amburg said. But “at the end of the day, we’re excited about the mobile on-reservation (app) and physical sportsbook.”

Casino del Sol’s new sportsbook, which replaces the former Paradiso Lounge, will feature 60 televisions and six betting windows. Self-service betting kiosks will be installed at Casino of the Sun, 7406 S. Camino de Oeste.

Sports gaming is expected to account for a small percentage of the money that flows into the casino every week. However, Van Amburg said, a sportsbook — complete with dozens of televisions, a full bar and food offerings — will bring different kinds of gamblers to the casino. And with football and baseball games lasting three hours or more, they are likely to stick around.

“It’s going to bring customers to the casino who normally wouldn’t come to a casino,” Van Amburg said. “And some of those people are going to bring people who like to play table games.”

Plus, she added, there’s something different about betting in person.

“The idea of a sportsbook involves socializing,” Van Amburg said. “It’s going to be so much fun.”