Hard Rock launches in Arizona sportsbook market
Seminole Gaming subsidiary debuts Grand Canyon State app in partnership with Navajo Nation
Hard Rock Digital has officially launched its sportsbook app in Arizona, in partnership with the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise (NNGE).
The launch expands Hard Rock Digital’s burgeoning sportsbook empire to four states, New Jersey, Iowa, Virginia and Arizona.
The enhanced Hard Rock Sportsbook platform includes more sports to bet live, same-game parlays and new reward features.
Hard Rock Digital CEO Marlon Goldstein welcomed the launch, coming just four months after the sportsbook operator inked a market-access deal with NNGE.
“We’re happy to debut our new platform, which players of all experience levels will appreciate for its ease of use, unique features and robust gaming options,” Goldstein said.
“Legendary service is part of Hard Rock’s ethos and we believe our commitment to customer support will help us stand out in this competitive market,” he added.
NNGE is a division of the Navajo Nation, one of the largest federally recognized Native American tribes, and operates five gaming and hospitality-led facilities across New Mexico and Arizona.
“The quality and functionality of the mobile platform is outstanding and we are anticipating great opportunities to cross-market the Navajo Nation Gaming Enterprise with a premiere gaming hospitality operator and the world-renowned Hard Rock brand,” NNGE interim CEO Brian Parrish said.
The launch in Arizona comes amid an ongoing legal dispute in Florida over Hard Rock’s owners the Seminole Tribe, and their 30-year gaming compact with the Sunshine State.
The compact was sensationally annulled by US Judge Dabney L. Friedrich on the grounds that it violated the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA) and the Wire Act in November.
Hard Rock Digital shuttered its Florida sportsbook in December but has appealed against the decision. The case itself is still ongoing.