Sports Betting in New York

The state of New York has a long-standing history with gambling. The state offers a variety of Vegas-style casino games as well as a state lottery. Despite being known as the “Mecca of basketball” and the home of the Yankees, Giants and Rangers, the state is making slow progress on the implementation of sports betting.

Is it legal to bet on sports in New York?

No, but there are steps being taken towards legalization. In 2013 the New York Economic Gaming Act was signed into law in 2013, permitting the construction of seven non-tribal casinos in New York. The Act also permits these establishments to offer sports betting if approved by the state government. Although the state of New Jersey won its Supreme Court case and managed to overturn the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), New York has yet to launch sports betting operations.

In June 2018 the attempt to get sports betting regulation off the ground was met with heavy opposition, putting regulated sports betting on hold for the moment. There has been speculation that the regulation of the sports betting market could take shape towards the end of 2018 and that establishments could begin offering sports wagers as early as 2019.

After months of speculation and public statements made by the State’s governor, the New York Gaming Commission granted preliminary approval to a set of sports betting regulations in January 2019. These regulations would grant four casinos in upstate New York the power to launch sports betting operations. The regulations are currently in a 60-day public comment period, which means that they could potentially be altered before being granted final approval.

Where will I be able to place bets on sporting events in New York?

Sports betting isn’t legal in the state of New York just yet, but there are a number of land-based casinos poised to capitalise quickly, should the state begin to offer sports wagering to the public. The New York Economic Gaming Act 2013 contained provisions that will allow four of the state’s casinos to apply for New York sports betting licenses.  These casinos include: Del Lago Resort & Casino, Tioga Downs Casino, Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady and Resorts World Catskills. If the regulations that were agreed upon in January are successful, the state’s tribal casinos will also be able to offer sports betting.

The regulations that were introduced in January 2019 do not cover mobile or online sports betting, but legal mobile sports betting has not been discounted as a possibility in the future. The last attempt to push sports betting featured amendments to bill S7900C, which contained provisions for mobile sports betting and permitted the installation of sports betting kiosks at off-track betting parlors, should they partner with a casino. Although this bill was unsuccessful, there’s still a chance that these provisions could carry over to a reworked piece of legislation in the future. It is unclear if future legislation will contain provisions for online sports betting sites.

What else can I bet on in New York?

There are still a variety of gambling options available to residents and visitors in the absence of sports betting. There are a variety of casino venues in the state ranging from tribal establishments to commercial casinos and even some racinos. Casinos in the state of New York offer a wide range of games and activities including: slots, blackjack, baccarat, poker, roulette and even horse racing.

Here’s a list of  commercial and racino establishments currently operating in New York:

New York currently has a number of social casino sites available to online gamblers in the state. These social casino sites can be played both on mobile and computer platforms and players can choose between a number of providers including Big Fish, Slotomania, Zynga and many others. The popular MGM Resorts’ mobile application, MyVegas, is also available to New York residents. New York residents can also make online bets on horse racing, on three different sites: TVG, BetAmerica and Twin Spires.

There are also a number of tribal gaming establishments located throughout the state of New York, offering a variety of slots and table games similar to those found in the state’s commercial casinos. There are three federally recognized Native American tribal communities that operate gambling establishments in New York: the St. Regis Mohawks, Oneida Indian Nation and the Seneca Nation of Indians.

At the start of 2019, the Oneida Indian Nation announced a partnership with Caesars Entertainment for sports betting. Around a week later, the tribe announced that it had selected Scientific Games to help with the rollout of sports betting in its casinos. Sports betting will be offered at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino and Point Place Casino, if the activity is authorized by the state gaming commission.

Here’s a list of New York’s tribal gaming establishments:

Are offshore gambling sites legal in New York?

Although you can only place online bets on horse racing and play social casino games, there is nothing in the state law that restricts players from using offshore gambling or sports betting sites. However, we recommend steering clear of offshore gambling sites. Offshore gambling sites don’t have a license to operate in New York and are not subject to the state’s regulatory standards. This means they may not be secure or may not have player protection measures in place to protect vulnerable players. You also have no way of finding out who is handling the money you deposit into an online account.

You can spot offshore gambling sites by looking at the website’s domain name. Domains ending in .EU or .AG do not hold a license to operate in New York and therefore should be avoided at all costs.

Is it safe to bet on sports in New York?

As long as the state of New York manages to set strong regulatory policies then sports betting should be a fair and safe activity for gamblers to enjoy. However, to make sure gambling remains fun, it’s important to gamble responsibly and avoid betting more than you can afford to. If you have any concerns about problem gambling involving yourself or a loved one the New York Council on Problem Gambling has a variety of resources available to help you.

You can contact the New York Council on Problem Gambling via:

Phone – 518-867-4084

Email – council@nyproblemgambling.org

Address – 100 Great Oaks Blvd., Suite 126, Albany, NY 12203

Who regulates gambling in New York?

All gambling in the state of New York, including horse racing, is monitored and regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission.

You can contact the New York State Gaming Commission via:

Phone – 518-388-3300

Email – info@gaming.ny.gov

Mailing address – New York State Gaming Commission, PO Box 7500, Schenectady, New York 12301-7500

How old do I have to be to gamble in New York?

In the state of New York, the legal age for gambling varies. You must be at least 18 years old to play online and land-based bingo, the state lottery and some social casino rooms. However, you must be 21 years old if you wish to gamble in any land-based casino. When sports betting goes live, bettors will have to be 21 years old.

 The journey to legal and regulated sports betting in New York

1992 – Congress passed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) prohibiting sports betting across US states. Four states were made exempt from the law: Nevada, Delaware, Oregon and Montana. These states had legal sports betting regulations in place.

2009 – Senator Eric Adams introduced bill S6061, the first New York sports betting bill. This bill would have allowed horse racing tracks and off-track betting properties to offer sports betting. Under this bill, a percentage of revenue generated from sports betting would be allocated to tax relief efforts on surrounding areas.

The bill was stalled at the committee level and didn’t go any further.

2011 – Senator Adams attempted to introduce another version of the 2009 bill under a new name, S3708. This time Adam’s bill was supported by legislation from the state government. A10464 was introduced by Assemblyman David Weprin. This was another sports betting bill but contained provisions to allow bets to be placed on collegiate sporting events. Funds generated from sports betting under this bill would be allocated to education instead of tax relief. Weprin’s bill would also have allowed any authorized casino to apply for a license to carry out sports betting. Both bills never made it past the committee stage.

Another bill was introduced further down the line by Senator Tony Avella, S7401, which was near identical to the previous efforts from state lawmakers. But just like the other attempts, this one didn’t get out of the committee stage.

2013 – On the ballot for 2013 was gambling package that would essentially rejuvenate the economy in upstate New York by allowing the construction and operation of four new casinos. This package included provisions for these establishments to offer sports betting if the state deemed it legal.

This package was voted on by New Yorkers during a referendum and was approved by the state’s citizens.

The casinos all opened their doors over the course of the next five years.

Senator Adams made another attempt to get sports betting off the ground with S2411. This piece of legislation was the same as S3708 and S6061. This was Adam’s last attempt to introduce his bill. Weprin and Avella also filed bills that were identical to the ones they previously tried to get off the ground. All were unsuccessful.

2015 – Two more attempts were made to try and get New York sports betting legislation off the ground. Weprin attempted to get his bill through the committee stage this time with A3080 and Avella with S940. They would have allowed sports betting to be carried out at horse racing racks and off-track betting facilities. Both were unsuccessful.

During this time, the state was looking into the legalization and regulation of daily fantasy sports (DFS). However, Attorney General, Eric Schneiderman dismissed DFS sites and put them in the same category as sports betting. DraftKings and FanDuel were ordered to stop operations in New York.

2017 – Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who is also the chairman of the Assembly’s Racing and Wagering Committee, came out in support of sports betting legislation. Two matching sports betting bills were introduced. Weprin introduced an updated version of his previous bill which was called, A5438 and Avella introduced an updated version of his previous bill, which was now called S1282. Both of these bills contained an update which would allow commercial casinos to offer sports betting.

2018  – In January, the state Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee held a public sports betting hearing, indicating the state lawmakers were open to take their legislative efforts to the next level. During this time the NBA was in the middle of the legal battle with New Jersey over the repeal of PASPA. However, the NBA changed its tone and would stop its efforts to let New York offer sports betting on the condition that any legislation contained a 1% integrity fee on all bets placed.

On 14 May, the Court reached a decision. In a 7 – 2 vote it was agreed that one of the clauses in PASPA violated the Tenth Amendment as it commandeered power from states to regulate their own gambling industries. This paved the way for all US state to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting.

In June the New York legislators pushed their sports betting bills but both ultimately failed. Two efforts were made and both included provisions to allow inline and mobile sports betting. The legislation also allocated an integrity fee to sports leagues.

Pretlow announced that he would continue to pursue sports betting legislation in 2019.

On 29 October, Acting Supreme Court Justice, Gerald W. Connolly ruled that daily fantasy sports was a form of illegal gambling. Shortly after this announcement, in November, the New York State Gaming Commission announced that it would not be responsible for regulating fantasy sports gaming in the state of New York.

2019 –  On 2 January, The Oneida Indian Nation announced a partnership with Caesars Entertainment for New York sports betting. This would allow sports betting to take place at the Turning Stone Resort Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino and Point Place Casino, if the state legalizes the activity.

On 15 January, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo called for the legalization of sports betting in New York’s upstate casinos. There were multiple reports that Cuomo planned to include sports betting revenue in a state budget package. However, the budget package did not include sports betting in it.

On 28 January, the New York State Gaming Commission granted preliminary approval to sports betting regulations. These regulations would authorize sports betting to take place in four upstate casinos. The proposed sports betting regulations are subject to a 60-day public comment period. Once the 60-day period is over the state regulator can give final approval to the regulations.

Once the regulations are given final approval the following casinos will be able to offer sports betting; Tioga Downs in Tioga County, Rivers Casino in Schenectady County, Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County and del Lago in Seneca County.

Want to know the latest on New York sports betting legislation? Check back with Compare.bet for updates as the situation develops.