An American Sports Betting First

When the Arizona state legislature passed its sports betting legislation last year, it did so with the intent of allowing the state's Indian Tribes and sports franchises to handle a great majority of the state's retail/mobile sports betting activities. It was the first state to apply such a sports betting format, a format that has since been copied in other states.

Based on the legislation, the NFL's Arizona Cardinals sports franchise was able to secure a sports betting license. They immediately reached out to BetMGM to partner for the purpose of offering both retail and mobile sports betting options. While the BetMGM mobile app has been accepting bets for months, the retail sportsbook has been under development.

Good news for Arizona sports bettors and Arizona Cardinal fans. The BetMGM retail sportsbook at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, AZ. will officially open on September 11, 2022. To be clear, this is a historic moment in U.S, gambling history. The BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium will officially become the first retail sportsbook tied to a professional sports franchise to be able to accept sports wagers on gameday.

About the BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium

The BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium is scheduled to accept its first sports wager on Sunday, Sept. 11, at 9 a.m. local time. Presumably, that first wager will be on the Arizona Cardinals who are hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in week #1 of the 2022 NFL regular season. Gametime is 1:25 PT with the Chiefs favored by 6 points and the o/u set at 53.5.

The Great Lawn Sportsbook has a seating capacity of 500 patrons. The hours of operation will be 9:00 am PT until 11:00 pm PT Mon-Fri and 7:00 am PT until 11:00 pm PT Sat-Sun all year round. While there will be an adequate number of betting windows available, the sportsbook also features 25 self-service betting kiosks.

Should patrons decide to stay in the sportsbook to enjoy the action, they will have access to a 265-ft. video wall that features 40 TVs locked into games from all over the globe. Visiting patrons will also be able to enjoy food and beverages throughout the day.

Playoff Exposure

It just so happens that Super Bowl LVII is being played at StateFarm Stadium. Regardless of whether or not the Cardinals play even one playoff game at home this year, the Super Bowl will be the first major sports championship played in a stadium with a retail sportsbook. The timing could not be better for BetMGM as the exposure should prove invaluable.

The magnitude of the opening of this sportsbook is unfathomable. It sets the tone for the possibility of other such sportsbooks in the future. It also serves as a reminder that the sports betting market in the U.S, is going strong with no slowdown in sight. There should be more exciting news coming out of the U.S. sports betting community in the coming weeks/months.