Statement from Senator TJ Shope

Friday, August 27, 2021

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Statement from Senator TJ Shope

Lawsuits were filed today against Governor Doug Ducey and the Arizona Department of Gaming, stating that state legislature illegally passed the state’s new sports betting bill. Senator TJ Shope has been one of the leading lawmakers on this effort.

"The historic modernization of the state's gaming compact passed this legislative session was the culmination of multi-year discussions amongst tribal, private and state parties. The legislation developed fair and equitable guidelines for merit-based distribution of gaming opportunities across operators consistent with the purpose of the Indian Gaming Preservation and Self-Reliance Act. The timing of these challenges, at the dawn of selection rather than during the legislative session or upon the bill's enactment, amount to an end-around on that qualifications-based awarding process at the Department of Gaming. I expect any legal challenges to be quickly dismissed so that the economic opportunities already happening as the result of Tribal-State Gaming Compact Amendment can continue to materialize."

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