9 Feb 9th–Feb 15th, 2023 phoenixnewtimes.com phoenix new Times | cONTeNTs | feeDBacK | OPiNiON | NeWs | feaTuRe | NighT+Day | culTuRe | film | cafe | music | Double Down It’s the first Super Bowl in a state with legal sports betting. These 6 sportsbooks are ready. BY ELIAS WEISS W hat’s better than a bowl of ice cream? A bowl of ice cream with hot fudge, mounds of whipped cream, and chopped nuts. In the classic 1992 Simpsons episode Lisa the Greek, everyone’s favorite yellow cartoon dad uses this analogy as he explains that gambling on sports takes a good thing and makes it better. Plenty of desert dwellers, as well as folks visiting Phoenix for Super Bowl LVII, agree. That’s why Arizona is the biggest state in the West for sports betting and home to several of the nation’s biggest sports spec- tacles — from the College Football Playoff semifinals to the NASCAR Cup Series Championship and the best-attended stop on the PGA Tour. Next year, Phoenix will host the NCAA men’s Final Four. But now it’s time for the Super Bowl — the biggest global betting event of the year taking place here in the Valley. Whether you’re a gambling pro or a regular Joe, it’s time to start playing. If you want a taste of the action on Super Bowl Sunday, you don’t need to dole out $8,000 — the average cost of a ticket to the big game — for the temporary rights to a plastic folding chair inside State Farm Stadium in Glendale. Whether you’re looking to relax and sip a cocktail in a fully-reclined theater-style throne — or feel the suspense of every wager with fellow white-knuckled fans at a rowdy bar — from the Superstitions to Sahuaro Ranch, there’s a sportsbook in metro Phoenix for you. Going to the game or got plans already? Stop by one of these six sportsbooks, open every day until the big game, and get a stake in the game. You can go back to the sportsbook with your winning ticket later and cash out. BetMGM Sportsbook State Farm Stadium 9591 West Sportsman Park North, Glendale sports.az.betmgm.com Fans attending the Super Bowl on Sunday won’t have to look far for a paper bet slip. Last year, BetMGM opened a two-story sports betting lounge at the Glendale stadium that features state-of-the-art sports wagering amenities, concert venues, a specialty restaurant and bar, and more screens than you can shake a stick at. The sportsbook operates from 11 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. on weekends, until February 10 at 5 p.m. From then until after the game, only those with game tickets or NFL credentials are allowed inside as it is part of the NFL campus bubble. “We are thrilled to make history, oper- ating the first sportsbook to be on the home campus of a Super Bowl,” BetMGM spokesperson Elisa Richardson told Phoenix New Times. “It’s an exciting moment for the sports betting industry as a whole, with the biggest game of the year being played in a state with legalized sports betting for the first time ever. The atmo- sphere at the BetMGM Sportsbook at State Farm Stadium will be absolutely electric and we can’t wait to see all of the action.” According to insights provided to New Times by John Ewing, director of research and analytics for BetMGM, 57 percent of Arizona bettors so far predict the Chiefs (+110) will win, while 68 percent of the handle has been wagered on the Eagles (-130). The same insights show more than two- thirds of bets and handle have been placed on the Eagles covering the spread. Most tickets back the under on a 49.5-point total, while bettors wagered most of the handle on the over. BetMGM will kick off its Super Bowl festivities with its first-ever West Fest at the Westgate Entertainment District in Glendale. The outdoor concert will feature performances by Grammy-nominated artist Marshmello on February 10 and country superstars Tim McGraw and Bailey Zimmerman on February 11. “The game is in our backyard, which means we will create the ultimate experi- ence with top-tier talent for both local and traveling sports fans to enjoy,” said Jessica Kubicki, Westgate’s marketing director. FanDuel Sportsbook Footprint Center 201 East Jefferson Street sportsbook.fanduel.com Located at Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, the FanDuel Sportsbook lounge features more than 70 cushy seats, 40 tele- vision displays, and dozens of betting windows and touch-screen kiosks. This sportsbook was Arizona’s first and is the first-ever to be located at an NBA arena. But that doesn’t mean you can’t bet on football, too. Whether or not the Phoenix Suns are in season, the lounge is open from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. weekdays and from 7 a.m. to midnight on weekends. The 7,400-square-foot, glass-front lounge contains backlit steel-gray fixtures, an MVP room floored with NBA hard- wood, and an outdoor terrace. FanDuel spokesperson Matthew Farhadi said that fans will be able to take photos with the “The Foot of Destiny,” a replica of former NFL tight end Rob Gronkowski’s kicking foot. Gronkowski will attempt to kick a field goal during a live Super Bowl LVII television commer- cial. If he makes it, FanDuel will award $10 million in free bets to its users who placed any bet on the Super Bowl. Farhadi added that fans over the age of 21 can take their own shot at the “Kick of Destiny” on-site with the chance to win bonus bets at the sportsbook and a commemorative t-shirt. Caesars Sportsbook Chase Field 201 South 4th Street caesars.com/sportsbook-and-casino In 2022, Chase Field became the first MLB stadium to allow sports fans to place an in-person wager. Now, fans can place bets on just about any sport at the ticket windows there, whether or not the Arizona Diamondbacks are playing. But that’s the tip of the iceberg. Inside the Caesars Sportsbook — a 20,300-square-foot, two-story lounge in the heart of downtown Phoenix — are thousands of square feet of LED video boards broadcasting games. It’s the largest free-standing retail sportsbook in Arizona and the largest brick-and-mortar book to open in partnership with a major sports stadium anywhere in America. The venue also has nine betting windows. and more than a dozen self- service betting kiosks. The spacious patio accommodates more than 425 people and offers private spaces available for rent. There are full bars inside and outside. Inside the sportsbook is Guy Fieri’s DTPHX Kitchen + Bar, the celebrity chef’s first-ever full-service restaurant in Arizona. Inside the restaurant, which dishes up Fieri’s most famous items including Trash Can Nachos, Bourbon Brown Sugar BBQ Wings, the Bacon Mac-N-Cheese Burger, and Cajun Chicken Alfredo, televisions mounted on every wall echo the day’s sporting games. “We expect Caesars Sportsbook to be a fan favorite in downtown Phoenix leading up to and during Super Bowl LVII,” David Grolman, Caesars Entertainment’s senior vice president and chief retail sportsbook officer, told New Times. “Throughout the next two weeks, we’ll have some great food and drink specials, exciting private events for our Caesars Rewards members with special appearances by NFL Legends, and more.” Caesars Sportsbook offers more than 2,000 unique ways to bet on Super LVII with an exciting prop betting menu. The sportsbook is open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 11 p.m. and weekends from 8 a.m. to midnight. “Sports fans should expect a welcoming environment at our sportsbook no matter their level of experience with sports wagering,” Grolman said. “Our team members are trained and ready to show eligible sports fans how to bet responsibly if they’d like to get a little action on the game to go alongside a killer Bacon Mac ‘n’ Cheeseburger from our friend Guy Fieri.” WKP Sportsbook by Betfred We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort 10438 Wekopa Way, Fort McDowell wekopacasinoresort.com/casino/ wkp-sportsbook Tucked away in the far northeast corner of metro Phoenix is the We-Ko-Pa Casino Resort, a desert oasis with gaming, pools, a spa, dining, and of course, a state-of-the- art sportsbook powered by Betfred. Video displays wall in the WKP Sportsbook with its cashier stand, four wagering terminals, and strategically located betting kiosks designed to appeal to sports betting enthusiasts throughout Arizona. A trio of 18-foot-wide screens can broadcast a dozen sporting games at once in crisp, 4K definition. A full-service sports bar serves American-style fare along with | NEWS | Art Credit BetMGM Sportsbook is a quick stroll from your seat at State Farm Stadium. >> p 11
