On the first day of the 2022 NFL season and 364 days after the first bets were placed in Arizona, the Arizona Cardinals and 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 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act was overturned in 2018 that the game will take place in a 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 . “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.”