Phoenix Suns Agree to Partnership With FanDuel For In-Arena Sportsbook

The Phoenix Suns wasted no time.

As soon as Arizona governor Doug Ducey passed legislation on Thursday to legalize sports betting within the state, the team announced that they had signed a deal with FanDuel to be their official sportsbook. 

As part of the deal, FanDuel will open up a retail sportsbook inside the Phoenix Suns Arena where the Suns play their home games. 

While mobile sports betting is still very much the main driver of sports betting revenue, retail sportsbooks still can generate a ton of buzz.

Earlier this week, the PGA Tour struck a deal with DraftKings to open a mobile sportsbook at TPC Scottsdale. William Hill will have a sportsbook inside the Capital One Arena, where the Wizards and Capitals play. BetMGM has a physical sportsbook deal with the Washington Nationals, and the Chicago Cubs did the same with DraftKings at Wrigley Field.

The Suns say the sportsbook, which will have 6,300 square feet, will be open in time for the 2021-22 season. The arena will feature both a full ticket window and self-serve kiosks.

Arizona's 2021 sports betting bill also allows the NHL's Arizona Coyotes, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks, NFL's Arizona Cardinals as well as the Phoenix Raceway to open retail and online sportsbooks. All these organizations are expected to announce their respective sportsbook partners later this year.

Additionally, ten online sportsbook licenses will also be available for state Native American gaming tribes. Tribes can also open retail sportsbooks at their brick-and-mortar gaming facilities.

Arizona could see as many as 16 live sportsbooks this year between the 10 tribal licenses and six professional sports organizations. An additional four licenses are available for future pro sports teams or organizations, such as a rumored MLS franchise.

State officials hope online and retail sports betting can begin ahead of the 2021 football season. Each sportsbook but be licensed by regulators, a process that has taken several months in most other states.

Arizona joins a group of 25 other states plus Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico that either take sports bets or have approved legislation to do so.  Ducey is the third governor to sign a sports betting bill into law this year after South Dakota's Kristi Noem and Wyoming's Mark Gordon. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan is expected to sign his state's sports betting bill in the coming days.

The Action Network's Ryan Butler contributed to this story.