Racing FAQs

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Yes, as long as the pari-mutuel horse racing event has been approved by the Department of Gaming, a wager can be placed on the mobile platform. 

COMPLAINTS

If you have a complaint about the teller, mutuel pay-outs, customer service at one of Arizona’s race tracks, and any other complaint regarding the race track or the facility, the teller has complaint forms to fill out. With mutuel pay-out disputes, do not throw away any tickets that are related to the dispute.

If you are dissatisfied with a race track response, you may submit your complaint to the ADG’s Division of Racing via e-mail to [email protected] or call (602) 364-1700.

ADG’s goal is to respond to all complaints as soon as possible. Some complaints may require additional time for investigation and research due to their complexity. If you do not hear from us within 30 days, please call (602) 364-1700.

Some complaints have filing or response times designated by rule. According to Arizona Administrative Code R19-2-121(D), R19-2-309(D) and R19-2-516:

  • A person with a grievance or complaint against a track official, an employee of the permittee, or a licensee shall submit it in writing to the ADG Racing Division Stewards within five (5) days of the alleged objectionable act or behavior.
  • A person with a grievance or complaint against an official or employee of the ADG shall report it in writing to ADG within five (5) days of the alleged objectionable act or behavior.

DIRECTOR’S HEARING

One of three ways: 

  • Appeal: Within three (3) days of a ruling by the Board of Stewards, you may appeal that ruling to the Director. The appeal must be in writing, contain the grounds for appeal, and be signed by you or your attorney.
  • Referral: The Board of Stewards may refer matters ruled on, including license denials, to the Director. The Director has the authority to affirm, reverse or modify the Stewards’ rulings and to conduct hearings as deemed appropriate.
  • Sua Sponte: The Director, after preliminarily reviewing rulings by the Board of Stewards, may decide to hear a matter heard by the Stewards, even if not appealed or referred. The Director has the authority to affirm, reverse or modify the Stewards’ rulings and to conduct hearings as deemed appropriate.

Hearings are conducted in accordance with the provisions of the Arizona Administrative Procedures Act  A.R.S. § 41-1061 and the Arizona Administrative Code R19-2-123 and R19-2-322. View the statute and rules.

Director’s hearings are conducted at the ADG, 100 N. 15th Avenue, Suite 202, Phoenix, Arizona, 85007. The hearings begin promptly at the time stated in the Notice of Hearing. Individuals with matters on the hearing agenda will receive notice by certified mail at least 30 days prior to the hearing date.

If you have a good reason for delay, you may request, in writing, that a hearing be rescheduled.  Please provide a telephone number and email address where you can be reached, you will be contacted and an alternative hearing date will be arranged, if your request is approved by the Director.

You are not required to be represented by an attorney; however, you may retain one if you desire.

You may submit any pertinent documentation as evidence and you will be afforded the opportunity to present your own witnesses and cross-examine any witnesses presented by the State.

You, or any witness you may need, may request to appear by telephone or online. Please make this request at least 5 business days prior to the hearing date so that arrangements can be made, if approved by the Director.

The Director will provide a written decision within 30 days of the date of the hearing.  The decision will be sent to you via certified mail or, if an email address is provided, via email.

APPEALS OF DIRECTOR’S ORDER

An order issued by the Director may be appealed. You may request a re-hearing/review by the Director. If the re-hearing/review is not granted, or if the Director upholds the previous decision, you may then request review by the Commission.

Alternatively, you may request a review by the Commission. If the Commission does not grant the review, or if the Commission upholds the Director’s decision, you may appeal to Superior Court for review of the facts of the case. You may appeal the Director’s Order by requesting a re-hearing/review of the decision by the Director; or requesting a review by the Commission; then requesting a review by the Superior Court.

Neither ADG nor the Arizona Racing Commission charge a fee in an Administrative hearing review or appeal. However, court fees may be applicable for a review by the Superior Court.

BREEDER'S AWARDS

An animal is considered Arizona bred if foaled or whelped in Arizona. Breeders’ awards will be paid to the owner or lessee of the female of the animal, at the time the animal was foaled or whelped.

Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses – ADG contracts with the Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association and the Arizona Quarter Horse Racing Association to certify Thoroughbreds and Quarter Horses as Arizona bred, respectively. Please contact these organizations for information about their requirements.

  • Arizona Thoroughbred Breeders Association (602) 942-1310
  • Arizona Quarter Horse Racing Association (602) 625-0468
  • First Quarter: Paid by October 31st or the last business day in October
  • Second Quarter: Paid by January 31st or the last business day in January
  • Third Quarter: Paid by April 30th or the last business day in April
  • Fourth Quarter: Paid by July 31st or the last business day in July

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires that the State report your breeder awards income for tax purposes. The vendor identification form (W-9) must be filed with the State before a payment can be processed.

Awards must be paid to the registered breeder and payments must match the vendor identification form (W-9) that was filed and reported to the IRS.

COMMERCIAL RACING

Please view the Horse Racing and Calendar pages for information about live racing. 

Post times vary from track to track; therefore, we suggest that you visit the website of the race track for updated information.  For your convenience, we have added direct links to their websites from the Racing Division’s website.

COUNTY FAIR RACING

Please view the Horse Racing and Calendar pages for information about live racing.

Horses may be entered to race at any commercial or county fair race track if the registration papers are on file with a racing office of a permittee currently conducting live racing in Arizona. However, in instances where a race overfills, some Racing Secretaries give preference to entries whose papers are on file at the track where the entry is made.

LICENSING

It depends on the type of license/license category. Please check the Licensing Fee Chart found at Forms, Licensing & Fees.

For your convenience, you can make secure payments 24 hours a day, seven days a week using ACH or your credit or debit card at the ADG Payment Portal for the Racing Division: Pay Online: Pay Online

Alternatively, the Racing Division accepts business checks or money orders for licensing fees at licensing offices at the race tracks. If payment is from a foreign bank, then the payment must be made in United States funds. You can mail your payments to Arizona Department of Gaming Racing Division, 100 N. 15th Avenue, Suite 202, Phoenix, AZ 85007.

Most racing licenses are good for two years from the date your application was processed. Your expiration date will be listed on the license received from ADG’s Racing Division. Licenses for Track Owners, Racing Officials, Tote and Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) companies, Tote and ADW Employees, County Fair Managers and some other key categories expire after one year. Please check the Licensing Fee Chart found at Forms, Licensing & Fees.

The fingerprint fee for your license pays for the cost of the background investigation, including the fee charged by the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigation to process your fingerprints. The fee you paid when you had your fingerprints taken is the fee charged by that entity for taking the fingerprints.

Arizona law requires fingerprints to be submitted with each application. Additionally, the Federal Bureau of Investigation requires a new, original fingerprint card to be submitted to process your fingerprints. Fingerprints are processed to receive current, up-to-date information since the last time ADG’s Racing Division submitted your fingerprints. 

No. According to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office,ADG may not participate in fingerprint reciprocity with other racing jurisdictions. According to Arizona statute, fingerprints can only be submitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety for criminal background information and processing through the Federal Bureau of Investigation. In Arizona, reciprocity is an authorization that is granted by the Legislature, and ADG does not have this authorization.

A temporary license for owners only is permitted for when they have horses running in special races such as handicaps or stake races. This license will expire 30 days from issuance. The original owner’s license application and other requirements must be received by the end of the 30-day period. No purse money will be paid until the owner is properly licensed.

Anyone who uses any name but their own on the animal registration papers must get a Stable license. All of the owners in a stable who own 10 percent or more must be licensed as owners in addition to the stable name license.

Yes. Arizona is a member of the National Racing Compact. However, standard ADG Racing Division fees apply. Visit National Racing Compact for more information.

Persons younger than 16 years of age are limited to applying for licensing as an OWNER. To do so, he/she also must have a parent/legal guardian sign the owner license application and assume full financial responsibility by obtaining an AUTHORIZED AGENT license.

Any person younger than 18 years of age is NOT eligible for the following licenses: OFFICIAL, TRAINER or ASSISTANT TRAINER. Anyone younger than 18 years of age must have the parent/legal guardian sign a Parent Signature card and both parties must present GOVERNMENTAL ID’S.

Arizona law requires that all employers doing business in Arizona carry workers’ compensation insurance. The Industrial Commission of Arizona (ICA) routinely checks employers at Arizona race tracks for workers’ compensation compliance. Visit ICA for more information.

OFF-TRACK BETTING (OTB) AND SIMULCASTING

You can locate Arizona off-track betting (OTB) sites on the Off-Track Betting page here: LINK
Please keep in mind that not all OTBs are open seven days per week, and not all take the same horse or dog racing simulcast signals. 

*The OTB map, directory and list are subject to change. Please contact the OTB location for hours of operation and signals carried.
 

Yes. The money wagered at off-track betting locations throughout Arizona is commingled into the same betting pools and treated just the same as if the bet was placed at a race. 

No. All dollars wagered off-track are treated exactly as if the wager was placed at the track.

The establishment relies on increased customer traffic, which could mean increased revenues from more food and beverage consumption.

Yes.

There is a limit to the number of channels that can be wired at these places. It’s best to call the off-track betting location for the list of tracks being carried on any specific day. 

The track that sends the signal controls the off-track betting site.

Mutuel tellers are employees of the specific Arizona race track.

Those OTBs that carry both dog and horse race signals have separate contractual relationships with a horse racing and dog racing permittee in the state. 

Since all wagers made in Arizona are commingled with the out-of-state track providing the signal, the out-of-state track makes the decisions as to disqualifications, official results and payoffs.  If the race is run in Arizona, Arizona officials make those determinations.

In rare situations simulcast technology has failed and this has prevented the wagering information to be transmitted from Arizona to the out-of-state track in a timely manner.  When this occurs, the non-Arizona track has the authority to reject Arizona wagers. The Arizona Administrative Code [R19-2-522(B)(6)] offers alternatives to the tracks in handling this situation.  All of the Arizona tracks currently choose to refund all wagers when this happens.

WAGERING

You must be 21 to place a wager on a horse or greyhound race.

A winning ticket may be cashed until one year after the last day of the racing meeting where it was purchased.

Contact the race track where you purchased the winning ticket and ask for a claim form. The pari-mutuel ticket is evidence of the contribution to the pari-mutuel pool and the race track’s obligation to pay the bearer.

Mail your winning ticket, return receipt requested, to the race track manager of the race track where the wager was placed along with a letter requesting payment.

Mail your winning ticket, return receipt requested, to the race track manager of the race track where the wager was placed along with a letter requesting payment.

Contact the Arizona race track that provided the forms at the time you cashed the winning wager(s).

ADG’s Racing Division may not provide advice regarding these matters. Therefore, please check with your tax advisor.

Advanced Deposit Wagering

Advanced Deposit Wagering (ADW) is a form of gambling where one can set up an account and wager from their home or office.

No, in Arizona, an Advanced Deposit Wagering company must be licensed and receive a permit to operate in Arizona from the Arizona Racing Commission.