Published in cooperation between pokerstrategy.com and the Gilroy Dispatch
Walk into any coffee shop around Chandler, Ariz., and you’ll hear people talking about their latest trip to Santan Mountain Casino. Ask them about playing blackjack from their living room, though, and they’ll tell you the same thing: Arizona doesn’t allow it (and neither does California).
The state draws a hard line when it comes to online casino gambling and poker. Real-money slots, blackjack, roulette and poker games remain off-limits for home play, no matter how much technology has advanced. The Arizona Department of Gaming keeps putting out warnings about fake casino and poker websites that claim they’re licensed to operate in Arizona. Most of these turn out to be scams designed to take people’s money.
Sports betting tells a different story entirely. When lawmakers passed HB 2772 back in 2021, they opened doors to mobile sports betting apps and physical sportsbooks throughout Arizona (though not legal in California). Daily fantasy sports got included in that package too. Traditional casino games stayed locked out of the digital world. The legislation also expanded what tribal casinos could offer under new gaming compacts with the state.
The divide leaves many Arizona players wondering what’s happening in other states. People curious about all the casino options can check out guides that cover legal gaming in different states. Some Arizona residents have turned to sweepstakes casinos that are using virtual currencies rather than direct cash gambling.
For now, Arizona casino fans need to make actual trips to physical locations. People living in San Tan Valley and around eastern Chandler usually drive over to Gila River Resorts & Casinos Santan Mountain, which opened in June. The new place cost $180 million to build and has 813 slot machines, 25 table games and the state’s largest BetMGM sportsbook. You can place sports bets on your phone while you’re there, but that convenience ends when you reach the parking lot.
The casino operates under a tribal gaming compact with the state. These agreements give tribes like Gila River exclusive rights to run casinos in their areas, and they’re what make most gambling legal in Arizona in the first place.
State regulators are constantly chasing down unauthorized gaming websites. In June, the Arizona Department of Gaming sent cease-and-desist letters to several platforms that were operating without proper authorization.
Arizona did make one change this year that benefits gamblers. Governor Katie Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1274 in May, which reduced withholding on gambling winnings to just 2.5 percent of the federal amount. Previously, the state took 20 percent of whatever the federal government withheld.
Horse racing fans caught one break in Arizona’s otherwise restrictive approach. You can bet on races from home through various online platforms that offer pari-mutuel wagering. This type of remote betting works from anywhere in the state and represents one of the few forms of online gambling that Arizona law actually permits. It’s a small exception in an otherwise tightly controlled gambling environment.
Various tribal leaders and state politicians have floated the idea of bringing online casino games to Arizona throughout 2025. But so far, it’s been all talk and no action. No concrete legislation has reached the statehouse floor. The regulatory picture shows no signs of changing anytime soon, leaving Arizona residents to keep making those drives to physical casinos.
Online betting and gambling laws vary from jurisdiction. It’s your responsibility to know what’s legal in your jurisdiction.
