- FanDuel’s retail sportsbook is now open at the Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona.
- The Footprint Center is the home court of the NBA Phoenix Suns.
- FanDuel has a ‘market access’ deal with the Suns in Arizona.
Arizona’s sports betting is a study in contrasts. The public has access to decent mobile and retail sports betting options and a semi-competitive marketplace. As long as you don’t look behind the scenes ‘where the sausage is made’, the Arizona sports betting market is one of the better ones in the United States. Arizona’s regulations allow gaming properties to offer retail sports betting along with ‘professional sports organizations’. The PGA Tour was the first to get in on the action as they partnered with DraftKings for mobile betting access and a new retail sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale.
The Phoenix Suns of the NBA quickly followed the PGA aboard the sports betting gravy train. They’ve announced a partnership with Fanduel for a market access deal that will allow them to offer mobile betting in the state. More significantly, they’re going to build a luxury FanDuel run retail sportsbook in their home arena in downtown Phoenix. This won’t be the first ‘in arena’ sportsbook in the US or for that matter in the NBA. The Washington Wizards have a Caesars Sportsbook in their home arena–odd since the District of Columbia is otherwise right among the worst run sports betting jurisdictions in the US.
In something of an irony, the venue currently known as the Footprint Center used to be branded with the name of a casino–more specifically, the Talking Stick Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. The naming rights deal with Talking Stick ended in November 2020 and after suffering with the name ‘Phoenix Suns Arena’ as something of a placeholder a new naming sponsor was finally found.
Phoenix Suns President & CEO Jason Rowley had this comment at the time the market access agreement was announced and is obviously pleased to be adding a new revenue stream that fans will love:
“This is a watershed moment for the Suns organization and our fans. FanDuel is the perfect partner as our missions are fully aligned. Simply put, FanDuel is committed to making sports more exciting while the Suns are focused on delivering exciting sports and entertainment and engaging fans at the highest level possible.”
Mike Raffensperger, FanDuel Group CMO, also shared his thoughts:
“As we gear up to bring our best-in-class online and retail offerings to the state of Arizona, this is a momentous time for FanDuel, the Suns, and Suns fans alike. We’re excited to open a luxury sportsbook within Phoenix Suns Arena, as the beginning of a long-term and innovative collaboration that will have a lasting impact on the state.”
The in-arena sportsbook is now open for business. The blurb on the Footprint Center website notes that ‘the retail sportsbook is the first of its kind to be located inside an NBA arena’. This is technically correct since the Caesars Sportsbook at the Capital One Center in Washington DC is located on the same location as the arena but is not technically *in* the arena. The FanDuel website has the listing of the sportsbook but not much else for any of their retail locations.
As you’d expect, it’s a very nice retail sports betting operation just like FanDuel’s other sportsbooks. Hours are 9 AM to 11 PM Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 12 AM on Saturday and Sunday.
