Last week’s announcement of a partnership between Hard Rock Digital and the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (NNGE) means that Hard Rock Sportsbook is set to become the next mobile operator to launch in Arizona.
The Perfect Match
The Navajo Nation is the largest federally recognized Native American tribe in the United States, it covers 27,000 square miles and has over 400,000 members. Since 2004 the NNGE has been at the forefront of job creation, infrastructure building and business growth within the Nation. They operate two land-based casinos near Flagstaff.
Given that Hard Rock has already established partnerships with the Seminole Tribe of Florida, this seems like an ideal matchup and one that fits perfectly with Hard Rock’s strategic plan. The operator is already live in both Iowa and New Jersey, although their sportsbook operation in Florida was recently suspended following a legal ruling.
Sports Betting in Arizona
Whilst sports betting in Arizona is still in its early days, the 20 licenses allocated for
online sports betting
in the state are being filled at a fast pace.
Of those twenty licenses, ten have been awarded to tribal operators, whilst the other ten have been awarded to professional sports venues and franchises. Navajo Nation are the last of the ten tribal operators to choose a sportsbook partner.
Despite sports betting in Arizona being in its infancy, it is already looking like a bright future for the industry. Big industry names such as DraftKings Sports, FanDuel and Caesars Sportsbook are already operating in the state. The ninth operator to launch in the state was SaharaBets, who have recently entered into a partnership with local NHL franchise the Arizona Coyotes.
Arizona’s retail and online sportsbooks had a handle on $777 million in the first two months of operation, with
legal gambling news
sources reporting that this generated over $68 million in total revenue during September and October of 2021. Of that $68 million, $57.3 million was given away in free bets to customers, as operators battled to attract new players to their sites. That left the industry with an overall profit of $10.7 million, plus more than $1 million in tax revenue.
The Next Steps
No launch date has been given for the NNGE and Hard Rock operation going live, but
igaming updates
on the Hard Rock Sportsbook Twitter account state that it is ‘Coming soon to Arizona’.
In terms of what the partnership will mean for sports betting fans in Arizona, Brian Parish, the Interim CEO of Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprises is extremely excited about the project and suggests that there will be a large choice for players and a number of enticing promotions. “The Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile sports wagering platform and our brick and mortar operations will offer a broad range of wagers, marketing promotions and cross-marketing offers that will be unique to the Navajo and Hard Rock brands.”
Meanwhile, NNGE Board Chairman Quincy Natay sounded equally as excited about the partnership. “The NNGE has proven its ability to create new jobs, develop innovative, high-quality facilities and products, as well as build a utility infrastructure that also supports other businesses and residential areas on the Navajo Nation. Joining forces with Hard Rock Digital fits well with our strategic plan and additions to our existing offerings.”
There is no doubt that Hard Rock Sportsbook and NNGE will have a tough task in attracting new customers to what is already a very crowded market. The big hitters in the sports betting market have already made significant progress in gaining new customers and establishing a foothold in the state. But given the combined knowledge and reputation of Hard Rock Sportsbook and the NNGE, it seems certain that the partnership will be one to watch and should be a fantastic option for sports betting fans in Arizona.
