Moving forward, three new licenses will be accepted with the state looking to strengthen the number of license holders, tax revenue, and overall benefit from regulating the sports gambling industry.

Arizona Gears Up for More Sports Betting Licenses

The Arizona Department of Gaming will be accepting one application from Arizona tribes and two applications from professional sports teams, with the regulator moving cautiously about expansion and trying to balance out as it goes along.

A webinar informing potential applicants of what to expect will be hosted on July 17, with an application deadline set for August 15.

Applicants will have to go through regulatory scrutiny with only the best ones – providing the field of contestants is greater than the available licenses – shortlisted and selected to proceed with the launch of dedicated sports gambling operations.

Arizona is already doing very well when it comes to the number of sports betting operators allowed. There are a total of 17 online betting sportsbooks as of the present moment. This competitive field of contestants is unlikely to dissuade other parties from joining, however, as the state’s sports betting handle has been steadily climbing – not considering the months after the biggest events and sports seasons in the country.

Even with somewhat diminished returns due to the lack of big events in the United States, however, Arizona’s sportsbooks have been doing well, and have been able to retain a bigger share of the total betting handle punters have been placing with them.

Fees to Enter the Market Aren’t as Steep

To apply, gaming companies and anyone seeking to gain a license would first need to pay $100,000 and then be prepared to pay $750,000, providing they are approved. The licensing fees despite not being too low are not prohibitively expensive which is what makes the regulator believe there is going to be interest, especially from professional sports teams.

Exact applicants have not been floated just yet but there are many companies that are absent from the market as of right now. Some of those include Betr, Tipico, Bet365, Fanatics, and more. Fanatics has been moving fast across the United States recently, making waves through the contested acquisition of PointsBet US.

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Imperial Palace Casino in Saipan remains closed to this day. Imperial Pacific International (IPI), which operates the casino, has been involved in various controversies and almost lost its license on several occasions. However, the controversies might not be the only thing preventing the property from reopening.

As reported by Mariana Variety, two years of being closed have taken their toll on Imperial Palace. Even if the court decides that IPI can reopen its venue, the property might simply be unsafe to reopen.

It is believed that the NMI climate may have affected the structural integrity of the property, compromising its safety. The local conditions can speed up corrosion, causing devastating damage to untended venues. Considering that Imperial Palace was never finished, to begin with, there is a high likelihood of problems.

The DPW Wants to Investigate the Property

As a result, the Department of Public Works (DPW) would like to inspect Imperial Palace and see if the property is safe. DPW secretary Ray N. Yumul asked IPI to allow DPW code inspectors to check all electrical, mechanical and standard components and verify the integrity of the building and welding connections.

Yumul would also like to check the two construction cranes that have remained in place ever since the property was shut down. Considering that the cranes were already deteriorating in 2021, according to an earlier report.

The secretary promised that the investigation will prioritize identifying key areas that need immediate attention. Yumul, who has previously served as the chief executive of Imperial Palace, might be the right man for saving IPI’s property from weathering.

Unfortunately, according to a report from casino.org, the DPW remains unable to obtain approval for its investigation from the Commonwealth Casino Commission. The department has so far been unable to locate Ralph S. Demapan since the latter is likely getting ready for arbitration meetings in Hawaii.

As a result, the critical investigation might be delayed.

IPI Is Still in Trouble

Last year, IPI narrowly dodged losing its Saipan casino license, despite the company’s continued failures to pay its license and regulatory fees. IPI, once again, promised to settle its debts, causing the hearing to be postponed.

Despite making a partial payment in November, the operator continues to fail to pay its fees in a timely manner. Around that same time, the NMI greenlit the auctioning of Imperial Palace assets.

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After it rejected a proposal for a series of measures aiming to protect gamblers from spending more than they can afford at the start of the year, the Department of Justice in Ireland has announced that it was ready to help the Gambling Regulation Bill progress in its 2023 Justice Plan.

Over 140 Actions Part of the 2023 Justice Plan

The Justice Plan for 2023 was officially released on April 6 and it introduces more than 140 headline actions that would help build safer and more powerful communities in the country.

The plan consists of a series of updated actions in fields like anti-social behavior, policing, and family and civil law, among others. It is based on the previously recorded progress under the Justice Plans released in the past two years.

As the third and also the last installment of plans meant to explain the goals belonging to Ireland’s 2021-2023 statement of strategy, the 2023 Justice Plan continues last year’s Plan that originally introduced the Gambling Regulation Bill.

As explained by the country’s Minister of State for Law Reform James Browne T.D., the Bill represents one of the top priorities that would ensure progress in the current year.

The Gambling Regulation Bill Aims to “Meet the Challenges of Gambling Responsibility“

Browne called the Bill which was originally published last December an important milestone as well as much-anticipated legislation needed to “meet the challenges of gambling responsibly in 21st century Ireland.”

The minister added that the 2023 Justice Plan plans on seeing the Bill advance through Oireachtas, which is the country’s Parliament. This would help set up the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland, which would be called Údarás Rialála Cearrbhachais na hÉireann.

As a main goal, the Bill would display the necessary framework for a “robust regulatory and licensing regime for the gambling sector in Ireland”.

Provided the Bill would pass, it might ban all forms of promotional activities related to gambling. Plus, operators would be forbidden to use free bets as stimuli to convince new players to join them and gamble for real money.

DoJ to Offer Management Services for Establishing the Regulatory Authority

The Department of Justice has announced it was prepared to show its support for the successful implementation of the Gambling Regulation Bill in the following months.

Namely, DoJ will help introduce a complex system for regulations and licensing designated for the gambling sector in the country by offering the necessary management services that would set up the Gambling Regulatory Authority.

The Authority will be responsible for the implementation and close supervision of the laws of the Gambling Regulation Bill.

The same department will also help establish the new chief executive officer Designate of the Authority while overseeing the Bill’s ongoing progress on its path toward “enactment and commencement later this year”.

Last September, Minister Browne appointed Ms Anne Marie Caulfield as the new CEO Designate of the Gambling Regulatory Authority with the intention of facilitating the preparatory work in advance of the establishment Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland.

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