- BetMGM has announced the opening of a retail sportsbook at the Gila River Casino Vee Quiva in Arizona.
- It is the first BetMGM retail sportsbook in Arizona and Phoenix’s first in-casino sportsbook.
- There are two other Gila River Casino properties in Arizona–Wild Horse Pass and Lone Butte. MGM will open retail sportsbooks in these locations in the near future.
Sports betting in Arizona is heating up despite the fact that under the hood the state has some of the most transparently sleazy regulations in the business, as well as an equally self serving group of politicians and bureaucrats enforcing them. While this is bad for the various entities that were screwed out of a sports betting license with no transparency or recourse, for those who made it behind the velvet rope it’s business as usual. Friday came with an announcement from one of the biggest players in the US sports betting business that they’ve launched a retail operation in Arizona. BetMGM has opened a retail sportsbook at one of the three Gila River properties in the state–more specifically, Vee Quiva in Laveen Village, Arizona which is around 25 minutes outside of downtown Phoenix.
BetMGM didn’t take any chances that they’d be left on the outside looking in with the rampant cronyism going on in the Arizona gaming industry. They partnered with two licensees–the Arizona Cardinals NFL football team and Gila River Hotels & Casinos. You can expect a BetMGM retail sports betting facility at State Farm Stadium–home field of the Arizona Cardinals–to be open in time for the 2022 NFL regular season. As for their partnership with Gila River, they’ve got sportsbooks for all three Gila River properties in the works. In addition to the new location at Vee Quiva, BetMGM is expecting to launch retail sportsbooks at Wild Horse Pass and Lone Butte in the near future. In mid-October, Gila River broke ground on a fourth property to be called Santan Mountain and located near Chandler, Arizona which is southeast of downtown Phoenix. The Santan Mountain property is expected to take between 18 and 24 months to complete and will also feature a BetMGM retail sportsbook when it opens.
BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt is excited to be working with the Gila River Hotel & Casino enterprise as his company’s presence grows in Arizona:
“It’s great to see our partnership with Gila River come to life in Arizona. The BetMGM Sportsbook at Vee Quiva will be a true destination for sports fans and we look forward to opening additional venues at Wild Horse Pass and Lone Butte. These retail sportsbooks complement our existing mobile platform in Arizona and further cement our goal of providing BetMGM customers with a world-class experience.”
Kenneth Manuel, CEO of Gila River Hotels & Casinos, says that BetMGM is a perfect fit for his company’s culture:
“The new sportsbooks align perfectly with Gila River’s sports-centric brand. As Arizona’s Official Sports Headquarters, we take pride in bringing unique sports experiences to our valued guests. We’re excited to partner with BetMGM to deliver a diverse, engaging selection of betting options, no matter if you’re a huge sports fan or just want to check out the fun.”
Here’s how the MGM Resorts press release described the retail sportsbook at Vee Quiva:
The BetMGM Sportsbook at Vee Quiva boasts 25 large screen displays, a massive media wall and seating for more than 100 guests. Guests can view games and events from all major U.S. and international sports. The sportsbook also features 20 betting kiosks and ticket writers present to assist guest with placing bets.
BetMGM has already launched mobile and online sports betting in Arizona.
