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. In 2019, New York, the “Mecca of basketball,” and the home of the Yankees, Giants and Rangers launched legal and regulated sports wagering. Read on for a comprehensive guide to sports betting in New York.

Is it legal to bet on sports in New York?

Yes, sports betting is legal and live in the state of New York. The Empire State legalized sports wagering with the passage of the New York Economic Gaming Act which was signed into law in 2013, permitting the construction of seven non-tribal casinos in New York. The legislation also permitted four upstate casinos, and the tribal venues in the state to offer sports wagering if federal law allowed it. With the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018, the state was finally allowed to make preparations for sports betting.

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 were approved in June 2019, paving the way for regulated sports betting in New York. 

On 16 July 2019, sports betting went live in New York with the opening of a land-based sportsbook at the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady. Lawmakers are currently looking into the possibility of authorizing online and mobile sports wagering.

Where can I bet on sports in New York?

Currently, four upstate commercial casinos and a handful of tribal-owned casinos offer legal and regulated sports wagering in the Empire State. At the time of writing, sports betting in New York is restricted to in-person betting at land-based casino sportsbooks. Here are the locations where you can bet on sports in New York:

• Rivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady
• FanDuel Sportsbook at  Tioga Downs
• DraftKings Sportsbook at Del Lago Resort and Casino
• Turning Stone Resort Casino
• Point Place Casino in Bridgeport
• Yellow Brick Road Casino
• Resorts World Catskills

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.

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?

Yes, the New York Gaming Commission has set out strong regulatory policies to ensure sports betting is 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 to bet on sport or gamble in any land-based casino.

 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 taking 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 were 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 were approved after a 60-day public comment period

On 16 July 2019, sports betting went live in New York with the opening of a land-based sportsbook at the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady. 

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