On the first day of the 2022 NFL season and 364 days after the BetMGM made history. The pair hosted a ribbon cutting Thursday for the first retail sportsbook at an NFL stadium anywhere in the U.S. It is the sixth sportsbook at a pro sports venue to open in America, and the third in metro Phoenix.
The opening is significant not only because it’s a first, but also in the context of this NFL season, which will culminate with the Feb. 12, 2023, Super Bowl in Glendale, marking the first time since the legal wagering state.
The Cardinals will host the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday on the first full day of the NFL season.
“The opening of a BetMGM sportsbook at the State Farm Stadium is a historic development for Arizona sports betting,” Arizona Department of Gaming Director Ted Vogt told Sports Handle. “In addition to new sports betting opportunities for fans throughout the season, next February Arizona will be the first state to host a Super Bowl with legal sports betting.”
The BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium won’t open to the public until Sunday, the first full day of the NFL season, but on Thursday, Gov. Doug Ducey and Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwell were among the dignitaries at the event, at which the first bet ever was placed at an NFL stadium retail sportsbook. The new venue is located on the north side of “The Great Lawn” and is not attached to the stadium. The modern building is set between two parking areas, making for easy access.
Is this the ceremonially opening of the BetMGM Sportsbook?
You bet 😉 pic.twitter.com/XljPCUZ6fC
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 8, 2022
Betting, music, food, and more 3g6825
The 17,000-square-foot venue features a 265-square-foot video wall, 38 televisions, and more than 25 betting kiosks. The site, which will also serve as a concert venue, has a gourmet grill and bar inside. The book, which can accommodate 500, will be open from 9 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday-Friday, and from 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
“The BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium is one of the most revolutionary additions an NFL stadium has seen in decades and unlike anything fans have encountered on gamedays,” BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said via press release. “BetMGM shares the Arizona Cardinals’ vision in pursuing new ways to break barriers and entertain fans.”
BetMGM, Arizona Cardinals set to open first sportsbook at an NFL stadium: https://t.co/1asQq9TLyv pic.twitter.com/U8lb5ORkFn
— azfamily 3TV CBS 5 (@azfamily) September 8, 2022
BetMGM s opened its permanent sportsbook June 21. It features wall-to-wall flat-screen televisions in a two-story venue that also has an outdoor patio complete with televisions.
So far, lawmakers in Arizona, first to open was the Caesars Sportsbook at Washington, D.C.’s Capital One Arena in August 2020. Retail books at Audi Field (FanDuel) and Nationals Park (BetMGM) have opened there since.
It’s likely that the next wave of pro stadium sportsbooks will open in Chicago, where construction is underway at the United Center (FanDuel) and Wrigley Field (Commanders and FedEx Field were approved for a sportsbook, though no partner has been announced. Wagering is not yet live in Ohio.
In Arizona, the State Farm Stadium sportsbook is the 25th retail location to open. There are currently 18 digital platforms that are tethered to professional franchises and tribal casinos and available to bettors.
