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Looking to get the lowdown of the law when it comes to playing at an Arizona online casino? Well, currently the laws are quite clear. When it comes to online gambling in Arizona, the regulations are some of the strictest of all the US states.
On the other hand, land-based gambling is just booming here. Arizona has become a surprising center of casino gambling in America, as Native American gaming has expanded across the state over the past three decades. That has probably been enough to keep many Arizonians from traveling to Las Vegas and other destinations, as there are more than enough slot machines and table games available right at home at these Indian resorts.
But while the live casino industry may be thriving here, Arizona isn’t one of the leading states in the union when it comes to Internet gambling. In fact, there has been little to no movement towards the regulation of online gambling in Arizona, even when some of the state’s senators have been pushing federal online poker legislation and fantasy sports.
Despite the lack of legislation surrounding Arizona online casinos – the answer to this is yes. Just like Texas and Alabama, there are no regulations in place to license or oversee online casinos, and there doesn’t appear to be any legislators pushing for it either. While the state has a rather active live gaming scene (more on that below), when it comes to the virtual world, there isn’t much going on locally.
But what you might not know is that it’s not actually illegal for Arizonians to play slots or other casino games online. Arizona is often referred to as a “grey market” jurisdiction – one where there is no regulatory framework in place. Currently all laws concerning Arizona online casino gambling are aimed at operators. If an online casino sets up in Arizona and is caught, then that operator could face heavy penalties. But players are at no risk at all.
So, while there may not be any government-approved AZ online casinos in the state, there are still plenty of gambling sites in other countries which are happy to take players from here. In fact, there are lots of safe and fully licensed online casinos that will gladly accept players from Arizona. These sites have an abundance of games and bonuses for you to choose from.
While you might not find a dedicated online casino in Arizona, this state is actually a massive hotbed for land-based gambling. Since the 1990s, there have been multiple rounds of gaming expansion for Arizona’s Native American tribal groups. Today, there are more than 20 different casinos operated by 16 Indian tribes in the state, with various operations ranging from small venues that are mostly slots-focused to major resorts that include hotels and entertainment options and wouldn’t look out of place in a major market like Las Vegas.
There are few restrictions on these resorts, with many of them including the complete range of gambling options, including poker rooms. Some of the most the best casinos in Arizona include the following:
And there may be more casinos to come. There are still battles being fought over whether certain casinos can be built by Native American tribes. The Tohono O’odham Nation has been engaged in a legal fight with the state of Arizona, as well as two rival tribes, over plans to build a resort casino just west of Phoenix.
At issue is a 2002 ballot measure and the most current compact between the state and the tribes that are based there. State officials say that the agreement doesn’t allow the Tohono O’odham Nation from building where it has proposed, and Congressman Trent Franks even pushed legislation in the House of Representatives that would alter a law to clearly prevent the building of a resort there until at least 2027, when the current compact expires. The tribe, meanwhile, cites a 1986 law that give them the reservation to replace land that they had previously lost near the city of Tucson.
Both horse racing and dog racing are hugely popular in Arizona. Both activities are fully legal, with the caveat being that there can’t be clashing events between the two on the same day. The horse racing industry still has a rather strong presence here, with Turf Paradise in Phoenix being the most notable track in the state. Gambling is considered to be a massive economic driver for the racing industry in Arizona.
There’s also a full state lottery, which participates in many of the major interstate jackpot games such as Mega Millions and Powerball. Both gamers can reach millions in prize pool making them an easy and fun gambling option.
While there is already plenty of gaming available in Arizona, there are still a variety of issues that are being debated or have yet to be settled in the Grand Canyon State.
Poker has in fact been the subject of much debate for Arizona in recent years. Just like online casino gambling, poker falls into a gray area where it is not entirely clear whether it is legal or not. There have been a number of poker rooms that have sprung up throughout the state, particularly in the Phoenix area. The legality of these locations has been called into question on many occasions, however, with some having been shut down by law enforcement over the years – though police say that closing these venues are, at best, a low priority for them. More attention was paid to so-called “sweepstakes cafes,” which authorities deemed to be a clear violation of state gaming law. Many such venues, where players enjoyed slot machine-like games, were closed by police raids in 2015. Currently your best bet if you want to play poker of any form is to take a drive to Nevada or hit the virtual poker room at an online casino where Arizona players are accepted.
Both in 2019 and 2020, discussion began by specific senators to try and legalize sportsbetting. The bill which has been drafted in an attempt to rally lawmakers, would allow sportsbetting through kiosks and similar machines that would be available at premises with a license to run a bar or club. But this bill has already been receiving pushback for two main reasons. The first is that tribes can only offer gambling on their own land whereas this bill has a wider scope. The second is that it’s not likely that the state will approve a law where gambling is permitted at locations where punters have access to copious amounts of alcohol.
Whether sportsbetting will be next thing to be legalised and regulated in Arizona remains to be seen. At this point in time, it seems unlikely – but at least the discourse is happening which is always a positive sign for hopeful punters.
Arizona has also been in an interesting position during debates over the legality of daily fantasy sports sites. The state has been one of just five that the major DFS companies have stayed away from, due to laws that seemed to clearly prohibit all fantasy sports contests from being offered there. However, in 2014, state legislators considered a bill to legalize fantasy sports in general. The bill failed, but brought up some important issues, such as the fact that fantasy sports aren’t specifically defined under state law.
Then there is the always looming question of online casinos. Despite a thriving casino industry, Arizona has shown little interest in promoting real money internet gambling, and that may not change in the near future. While one could imagine that at least some of the Native American tribes in the state would like to benefit from offering poker or other games over the internet, very little noise has been made on the topic, leading us to believe that regulation isn’t coming in the foreseeable future. Legislators have brought up time and again that they are not interested in paving the way for more lenient laws unless very carefully considered, but who knows. Fantasy Sports, or possibly poker, could be what it takes to get some movement towards Arizona online gambling.
While land-based gambling is a major market in Arizona, right now there is no form of online gambling in Arizona that is permitted. However, gamblers who sign up with online casinos from Arizona are not at risk. Stay updated on the laws of Arizona online gambling with our handy guide.
The short answer is yes. All legislation surrounding online gambling casinos is aimed at operators, so players are not at risk for playing at AZ online casinos. You can play for real money at a trusted casino using a secure payment provider just like anyone else.
We can’t stress this enough – if you plan on joining an Arizona online casino, don’t settle for second best. You can easily get a premium casino experience as there are plenty of online gambling sites that will open their doors to you. We regularly evaluate and recommend the best online casinos for Arizona thanks to our trusty team of experts.
Absolutely – you can all the free slots you like from Arizona. At VegasSlotsOnline we have over 7700+ free slots that you can play with no download required.
You need to be at least 18 if you take part in the lottery or charity gambling events. On the other hand, you need to be 21 to play at Native American casinos or make wagers on horseracing and dog racing.
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