Gambling, whether it's horse-racing or slot machines, is regulated at the state level. Generally speaking, all legalized gambling within the state of Arizona is limited to the following areas:
Arizona's gaming activities are governed by roughly Arizona Tribal-State Gaming Compacts between the state and 21 separate Native American tribes.
Gambling on Native American Land
Arizona has more Native American land than any other state in the U.S. Tribal lands comprise about 27% of Arizona's land base, or a total of more than 20 million acres. All gambling on Native American land is authorized by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), a federal law.
As required by federal law, gambling is permitted on Indian reservations through compacts signed between the state and tribes. All revenues from gaming are required to be used for tribal governmental and charitable ventures only. Currently there are 15 tribes operating 22 casinos across the state of Arizona.
The following table highlights the basics of Arizona laws pertaining to gambling. See Details on State Gambling Laws for a general overview.
| Code Section | A.R.S 13-3301 et seq. and 5-101 et seq. |
| Regulatory Agencies | Arizona Department of Gaming |
| Horse Racing/Off-Track Betting | Horse and harness racing permitted. Off-track betting prohibited. |
| Dog Racing/Off-Track Betting | Daytime dog racing not allowed on same day as daytime horse or harness races in same county. |
| Casinos | Indian reservation casinos are permitted. All for-profit casinos are banned. |
| Charitable Organizations | Charitable organizations' casino night fundraisers allowed. |
| Other Kinds of Gambling-Related Activities Allowed or Banned | Raffles and social gambling are allowed. Gambling in which prizes are not offered as a lure to separate players from their money allowed. |
| State-run lottery? | Yes, Arizona Lottery |
| Gambling Addiction Assistance |
Note: State laws are constantly changing -- please contact an Arizona gaming law attorney or conduct your own legal research to verify the state law(s) you are researching.
Research the Law
Arizona Gambling Laws: Related Resources
