With the Navajo Nation contract, Hard Rock gains access to the Arizona market.
The deal calls for the operator to enter the state's regulated sports betting market with its Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app.
Five gaming and hospitality facilities are run by the NNGE, a branch of the Navajo Nation—the biggest Native American nation in the United States that has received federal recognition. These facilities are located in Arizona and New Mexico.
In addition to Iowa and New Jersey, Hard Rock also provides online sports betting.
"We're excited to work with the NNGE to bring a thrilling and interactive gameday experience to Arizona sports bettors through the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile app," stated Marlon Goldstein, executive managing director and chief executive of Hard Rock Digital.
"We are thrilled to bring the legendary hospitality and entertainment of the Hard Rock brand to Arizonans through our unparalleled mobile sports betting platform. The Hard Rock brand is known worldwide for its legendary experiences."
"We're excited to introduce mobile sports and event wagering," said Brian Parrish, interim chief executive of NNGE. A wide variety of bets, marketing campaigns, and cross-marketing offers will be available through the Hard Rock Sportsbook mobile sports betting platform and our brick-and-mortar operations. These will be exclusive to the Navajo and Hard Rock brands.
This week, it came to light that Arizona operators claimed adjusted sports betting income after free bets of $31.8m for November, a gain of over 200% month-on-month despite reduced spending. The news prompted the settlement.
A total of $466.7 million was staked during the month, representing a decline of 4.0% from the previous month. Retail sports betting totalled $7.4 million, while mobile sports betting hit $459.2 million.
In related news, International Game Technology (IGT) has entered the Arizona sports betting market, which is still in its early stages, and is now powering the new SaharaBets betting service.
The owner of SaharaBets, Meruelo Gaming, and IGT formed a partnership so that the statewide mobile sports betting app could access IGT's trade advice services and PlaySports technology.