Arizona still working on ADW regulations

Although a law allowing for account wagering went into effect two weeks ago in Arizona, the practice won’t likely be available to residents of the state until early 2015, according to officials at the Arizona Department of Racing.

The department of racing is currently writing the regulations that will govern account wagering, according to Greg Stiles, the public information officer for the department. After the regulations are approved by the commission – the department of racing does not need to put out its rules for public comment – the state will immediately begin to take applications from companies interested in offering account wagering in the state, Stiles said.

“My best guess, I think we will be able to go at the start of 2015,” Stiles said. “If it’s sooner, well, that’s a bonus for everyone.”

Gov. Jan Brewer signed the law authorizing telephone betting on horse races in May. Seven years earlier, the legislature had cracked down on the practice by banning account wagering with the support of the state’s racetracks, which had objected to account-wagering companies taking bets without paying fees to the tracks.

The legislation requires ADW companies to pay the fees to tracks. It also continues to bar customers from placing their bets over the Internet, limiting the practice to telephone betting. It is unclear whether the regulations will allow for betting through the increasingly popular wagering apps available for mobile devices.