EndGame: Arkansas Sees Betting Boost, Arizona Aims For Same

The U.S. sports betting world moves quickly and unpredictably in 2026. In order to properly take stock of it all, we offer InGame’s “EndGame,” an end-of-week compilation of the top storylines, some overlooked items, and all the other news bits from this past week that we found interesting.

Arkansas betting boosted by FD, DK

Never underestimate the power of FanDuel and DraftKings to drive sports bettors.

The two national titans became part of Arkansas’ online sports betting industry for the first time in March, and there have been estimates their participation in the state could quadruple the amount of sports betting handle and revenue. The figures for their first full month of operation in April don’t yet confirm that will be the case, but there’s no question the pair have made an impact.

THV 11 reported that online betting handle in April through Oaklawn Casino, newly partnered with FanDuel, amounted to $52 million, compared with $14 million the prior April when FanDuel was not involved. Online betting handle for Southland Casino, now partnered with DraftKings, was also up considerably to $35.6 million. Saracen Casino, the only one of the three Arkansas racinos to continue a white-label online operation instead of using a national partner, suffered by comparison in dropping from $26 million to $13 million in April handle.

National sportsbooks must contribute 51% of their revenue to their in-state casino partner in Arkansas, which discouraged online companies like FanDuel and DraftKings from entering the state’s market when it launched in 2022, before they opted to do so in March.

Arizona looks to add operators

Arizona is another state that could begin seeing an increase in wagering, as it is seeking an expansion in the number of sportsbooks operating in the state.

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The Arizona Department of Gaming has announced it will open an event wagering application window June 26-July 10., with the review and decision process to begin July 13. State law allows for 20 event wagering licenses — 10 each for professional sports franchises and tribes. Since online sports betting went live in September 2021, some of the professional sports franchise licenses have been unclaimed, as there do not appear to be 10 professional sports franchises that meet the legal qualifications.

There are currently 14 licensed platforms in Arizona, seven each partnered with professional sports franchises and tribes. Among the 14 is Sporttrade, which has been partnering with the Quechan Indian Tribe but last month announced it is shuttering. Of the national platforms, BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Penn Interactive (theScore Bet) are partnered with teams, and bet365 and Fanatics Betting & Gaming are partnered with tribes.

— Jill R. Dorson

Rozier seeks to have access to Hornets

With the NBA’s free agency period less than a month away, embattled player Terry Rozier is asking the federal judge in his sports betting case to change the parameters of his “conditions of release.” Rozier is charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, sports bribery, and honest services wire fraud conspiracy. The latter two charges were added by prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York last week.

Rozier’s conditions of release — he is out on $3 million bond — include no contact with the Charlotte Hornets, the team he played for when allegedly accepting a bribe to fix games. His lawyer wrote in a brief filed Wednesday, “Under the current ruling of the arbitrator, an inability to play for or against the Charlotte Hornets would constitute a ‘failure to perform services’ by Mr. Rozier and substantially diminish or eliminate any chance of being contracted by an NBA team.” Judge LaShann DeArcy Hall previously removed the Miami Heat, who waived Rozier in April, from Rozier’s no-contact list.

The brief also revealed that an arbitrator ruled May 20 that “despite being placed on administrative leave by the NBA, Mr. Rozier’s conditions of release effectively rendered him in breach of his contractual obligation to play,” meaning he will lose much of his $26.6 million 2025-26 salary.

— Jill R. Dorson

Damn, Terry Rozier is about to lose the majority of his $26.6M salary over the $100K bribe he took?! I ain't never seen a risk-to-reward ratio that lopsided. 😂
— GOWIE (@DaKidGowie) June 4, 2026

Odds and ends

William “Billy” Kirkland, the assistant secretary for Indian affairs at the U.S. Department of the Interior, has been appointed as an associate commissioner on the National Indian Gaming Commission. He will serve a three-year term on the commission that enforces the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and which has had just a single commissioner since April.
Fanatics is now adding its FanCash loyalty rewards program to its prediction market product. Similar to how FanCash rewards are available on its sports betting app, the company said customers can receive up to 10% back in FanCash on eligible prediction market trades. Reward dollars can be spent on other contracts or other products in the Fanatics ecosystem.