Assigned to FICO FOR COMMITTEE
ARIZONA STATE SENATE
Fifty-Sixth Legislature, Second Regular Session
FACT SHEET FOR S.B. 1260
dog racing; simulcast wagering; prohibition
Purpose
Prohibits simulcast dog racing in Arizona beginning January 1, 2029.
Background
The Arizona Department of Gaming (ADG) Division of Racing, with direction from the
Arizona Racing Commission, regulates and supervises all commercial horse racing meetings,
authorized pari-mutuel wagering and simulcasting of dog races that occur outside the state.
Laws 2016, Chapter 246 prohibited live dog racing in Arizona beginning January 1, 2017. The
practice of allowing patrons at a racetrack enclosure or its licensed off-track facilities to watch and
wager on races being conducted at other tracks is referred to as simulcasting. The ADG may allow
a commercial dog racing permittee to electronically televise simulcast dog races and allows
wagering on simulcast races, subject to prescribed requirements. Except as otherwise provided,
any person within a racetrack enclosure or off-track facility may wager on the results of a race that
is simulcast to the facility by contributing to a pari-mutuel pool.
Simulcasting may only be authorized for the same type of racing authorized by a
permittee's live racing permit. However, any dog racing permittee that offered live dog racing in
2016 or that has offered live dog racing in 8 out of 10 calendar years from 1980 to 1990 in a county
with a population of fewer than 500,000 persons is considered as operating a racetrack enclosure
for all statutory purposes and is not authorized or required to conduct live racing as a condition of
that permittee's racing permit (A.R.S. Title 5, Chapter 1).
There is no anticipated fiscal impact to the state General Fund associated with this legislation.
Provisions
1. Prohibits, effective January 1, 2029, simulcast dog racing in Arizona beginning January 1,
2029.
2. Authorizes the Arizona Racing Commission, until December 31, 2028, to approve, grant or
issue a new commercial dog racing permittee the right to simulcast dog races in Arizona and
prohibits approving or granting any expansion of existing simulcast dog races in Arizona.
3. Prohibits, beginning December 31, 2028, the Arizona Racing Commission from approving or
granting a commercial dog racing permittee the right to simulcast dog races in Arizona.
4. Makes technical and conforming changes, effective January 1, 2029.
5. Becomes effective on the general effective date, with a delayed effective date as noted.
Prepared by Senate Research
February 1, 2024
MG/cs