PHOENIX – When the calendar turns to September, sports fans in the Valley know that means only one thing: Football is back.

College football season is in full swing, the NFL is entering its third full weekend of action, and here in Arizona and across the country, the action won’t be entirely focused on the game taking place on the field.

Sports betting is back and bigger than ever before. The American Gaming Association projects that over $35 billion will be legally wagered (at a registered sportsbook) on the NFL nationwide this season. This is over a 30% increase from the $26.7 billion mark set during the 2023 NFL season. Arizona in particular is preparing for what is sure to be a busy wagering season.

“In the past three years, cumulative total wagers have just surpassed $18.14 billion in Arizona,” said Dayne O’Brien, public information officer for the Arizona Department of Gaming. “That’s a pretty outstanding number. Pretty crazy and mind-blowing.”

The sports betting industry has seen steady growth throughout its time as a legal venture in Arizona. Arizona saw a 13.6% increase in total handle (total money wagered by bettors) during the full months of the NFL regular season (September-December) from 2022 to 2023, according to data tracked by Christopher Boan, an analyst and national lead writer for the Gambling.com Group. Although Boan doesn’t expect to see as much of a drastic increase in Arizona as it did in 2023, he projects the sports betting market will continue to grow each year.

“I don’t think we’ll see as big of a jump as the last two years,” Boan said. “During the NFL season, the total handle went from a 34.6 percent increase in 2022 to a 13.6 percent increase in 2023. I think that goes to show that Arizona’s market is maturing. There’s not as much opportunity for explosive growth, but this year I would still expect to see the total handle increase between eight to 10 percent.

“Last year, Arizonans wagered nearly $2.7 billion during this time, so if you saw an eight to 10 percent increase on that, you could be looking at anywhere between $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion being wagered. That’s just from September to December.”

As for where Arizonans can place wagers this season, the Arizona Department of Gaming lists all of its approved operators and retail locations on its website, and while the state showcases many options for legal sportsbooks, Arizona sees most of its event wagering revenue coming from two companies.

“Arizona is a two-horse race. It’s FanDuel and DraftKings, same as any other state right now,” Boan said. “Those two combined have over $11 billion in total handle in Arizona and the state’s total is just over $18 billion, so about a 60 percent market share give or take is from those two alone. Across the country, everyone else is fighting for third place. BetMGM has a commanding lead for third place in Arizona.”

FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM all have in-person sportsbooks in the Valley where bettors can place wagers. FanDuel’s sportsbook is located inside the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix, DraftKings sets up shop at the TPC Scottsdale golf course and BetMGM operates in Glendale, adjacent to State Farm Stadium, home of the Arizona Cardinals.

Although these sportsbooks have retail facilities easily available, the state sees most of its total handle come from online betting.

“We continue to see almost every month 99 percent of all wagers are placed online,” O’Brien said. “It’s pretty crazy to see that only one percent of wagers are placed in person.”

With online gambling being available to bettors at any time right at their fingertips, it allows local residents to put their money in the game. This is especially true regarding Arizona State University students.

“I’ve been to the BetMGM sportsbook at the Cardinals stadium once and it seemed like a fun environment, but I prefer betting online,” ASU student Diego Iniguez said. “It’s easy to use and it’s very accessible.”

But as accessibility and handles increase, so does the number of illegal sportsbooks across the country. The Arizona Department of Gaming encourages all bettors to be on high alert to make sure all wagering is done with an approved operator.

“We like to note it’s important to use basic consumer protection. Don’t click on suspicious links, don’t provide your personal information for unexpected requests, and use those legal and licensed operators in the state,” O’Brien said.