New York Sports Betting Update

• New York is set to become the most-populous state yet to allow mobile sports betting under a plan proposed Wednesday by Governor Andrew Cuomo. The governor, who faces a $16 billion budget gap.
• He gave an update on the subject in his budget address New York governor still open to sports betting but prefers lottery model Cuomo claims a single-operator model would generate 10-times the revenue for the state since all sports betting winnings would go to the state’s lottery.
• Jan 12, 2021 Legislators in New York recently proposed a bill to offer 14 sports betting skins from the seven existing casino operators. The state could launch online sports betting in late 2021 or early 2022.

1. New York Sports Betting Update
2. New York Sports Betting Update 2019
3. New York Sports Betting Bill

New York sports betting is legal and launched, but the state has fallen well short of expectations for the industry. Sports betting in New York is limited to just retail at this time, but that could change by the end of 2021.

Today, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo reinforced his support for a state-run lottery-based online sports betting model. Cuomo briefly touched on sports betting as part of his 2021 Budget Address.

New York Sports Betting Update

“One proposal would allow casinos to run mobile sportsbooks,” said Cuomo, speaking of State Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow’s recent sports betting bill. “That’s good for casinos and their supporters.”

As part of the second proposal, “the people of the state of New York actually get the profits,” he continued, “Run [sports betting] the way we run the lottery; the state gets all the revenue.”

“I’m with the people and I believe the people of the state should get the revenues. This is not a moneymaker for private interests,” Cuomo concluded before moving on to other topics.

Alongside sports betting, Cuomo mentioned his support for legalizing recreational cannabis and outline other budget recommendations to offset the state’s Covid-related losses.

The Story So Far for NY Sports Betting

During the budget presentation, Cuomo doubled down on his previous statement supporting a lottery-run sportsbook. He reversed his stance toward online sports betting in early January, voicing his support for digital platforms and citing budget concerns as the primary reason for his shift.

But Governor Cuomo’s lottery-run model has been implemented in other markets, such as Montana, New Hampshire, and Washington D.C. The model, as we’ve previously noted, has limitations and can lead to lower overall revenue than a casino-based sportsbook structure.

In response to the limitations of a lottery-run sports betting market, two New York legislators– Assemblyman Gary Pretlow and State Senator Joseph Addabbo–introduced a bill that would authorize a casino-run model for New York sports betting. This model would stage New York to compete with gambling-friendly neighbors like New Jersey and Pennsylvania. In fact, New Jersey siphons potential sports betting revenue from New York, and it’s no small amount.

What Comes Next?

New York needs to finalize its budget by April 1, 2021, according to Governor Cuomo. Between now and then, there will doubtless be new developments on New York’s road to sports betting legalization. And in all likelihood, this legislative stalemate could result in a budget that doesn’t account for sports betting at all, further delaying New York’s expected launch.

Right now, it’s just a waiting game. We’ll keep tabs on New York’s progress toward online sports betting and provide updates along the way.

New York online sports betting is not yet legal, but there are a variety of New York sportsbooks locations throughout the state. These are retail sportsbooks where bets can be placed in person.

New York’s retail sportsbooks will offer a wide range of wagers on all major sports competitions throughout 2021 and beyond. They are currently all located in Upstate NY.

There are two major restrictions that New York bettors should be aware of. Sports bettors are unable to wager on in-state college schools and online sports betting is not currently legal (but it may be by the end of 2021). There are, however, options for bettors in New York to place online bets.

New York Sports Betting Recent Updates

• The veto-proof majority of New York Democrats is good news for sports bettors: On November 23, 2020, New York’s Democratic lawmakers achieve a supermajority, meaning they can pass legislation that Governor Andrew Cuomo would be unable to veto. This veto-proof majority likely signals the beginning of online sports betting in New York, which we could see in 2021.
• New Jersey sports betting totals $931 million: On December 14, 2020, the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement reported that in-state sportsbooks handled close to a billion dollars in bets. This marks the fourth consecutive time that the Garden State broke the national record for most sports betting in a single month, no doubt with help from New Yorkers crossing the border to bet at legal online sportsbooks.
• Governor Cuomo announces push for online sports betting: On January 6, 2021, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced his intention to push for legal online sports betting in his 2021 State of the State address. In the press release, he stated, “New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis.”
• DraftKings stock rises by 9%: Immediately following the January 6, 2021 announcement that New York State will likely legalize online sports betting, DraftKings (DKNG) stocks sharply rose by 9%. However, this excitement has since tapered off with the possibility that sports betting will be run by the New York Lottery, which would cut DraftKings and all other casino-style sportsbooks out of the market.
• Online sports betting announcement receives criticism: On January 14, 2021, Governor Cuomo’s proposal to allow the New York Lottery to operate the state’s only online sportsbook received criticism from State Senator Joe Addabbo. The Queens Democrat is one of many lawmakers pushing for a casino-style, competitive market rather than a lottery-style, state-run sportsbook like they had in Washington, DC at launch.

Online Sportsbooks In New York: What We Can Expect

A great online sports betting market in New York is only possible if two things happen:

• Lawmakers pass a bill legalizing online sports betting in the state
• New York follows the casino model rather than the lottery model for online sportsbooks. If they go with the lottery model instead, sports bettors in the state would have exactly one online sportsbook option, and it’d be run by the New York Lottery.

But if New York offers a competitive online sports betting market that opens the doors to some of the biggest and best sportsbooks in the US, it could very easily generate more sports betting revenue than any other state.

Below are the online sportsbooks you can expect to immediately enter the New York sports betting market:

• Caesars Sports

These four brands already have retail sportsbooks located across Upstate New York. In fact, The Lounge by Caesars Sports has a location inside Turning Stone in Verona, Yellow Brick Road in Chittenango, and Point Place in Bridgeport, essentially making it Central New York’s main sports betting brand.

But you can also count on the following sports betting apps to join as well:

• TwinSpires (formerly BetAmerica)
• FOX Bet
• PointsBet
• Unibet

All of these online sportsbooks are available in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania, which makes it highly likely that they’ll apply for a license in New York State as well.

All New York State Sportsbooks

How To Place A Bet In New York

Retail Sportsbooks

If you want to bet on sports while inside the state of New York, you’ll have to visit a retail sportsbook and bet in-person. Some of these sportsbooks, such as Sportsbook 360 at Resorts World Catskills, allow you to view the bets online before you visit. All will take phone calls inquiring about the lines they’re offering.

Unfortunately, New York City does not have any retail sportsbooks despite having land-based casinos. The closest in-state option is Resorts World Catskills in Monticello.

Online Sportsbooks In New Jersey Or Pennsylvania

Some New Yorkers may find it easier to simply cross the border into New Jersey or Pennsylvania to bet online. As long as you’re at least 21 and physically located within state lines, you can wager at any of the legally licensed online sportsbooks in those states.

New York Sports Betting Revenue

In November 2020, sportsbooks across New York State generated $2,619,676 in revenue, which translated to $261,968 in state taxes. That’s incredibly low compared to the sports betting revenue in New Jersey ($931,620,415) and Pennsylvania ($491,910,713) in the same month.

The discrepancies are due to two main factors: those states offer online sportsbooks, and New York City does not have any in-state retail sportsbooks.

However, if New York State legalizes online sports betting, the state could see sportsbook revenue reach $3 billion by the end of 2021. According to State Budget Director Robert Mujica, legal mobile sports betting would increase tax revenue from $50 million to more than $500 million per year.

How New York Compares To Other States

New York Sports Betting Update 2019

New York Versus Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania is one of just a few states that legalized all forms of online gambling: sports betting, casino games, and poker sites. New York has no form of legal online gambling, so there’s really no comparison. If you like to bet online, Pennsylvania offers one of the best markets.

Here is a complete list of online sportsbooks in Pennsylvania that New York residents can use as long as they’re inside PA state lines:

• Barstool
• TwinSpires
• BetMGM
• Caesars Sports
• DraftKings
• FanDuel
• FOX Bet
• Parx
• SugarHouse
• Unibet

More will likely be added in 2021 as well.

New York Versus New Jersey

New Jersey also offers legal online sportsbooks, online casinos, and poker sites. And until New York legalizes online sports betting, New Jersey will remain the state where online sportsbooks generate the most revenue in the country.

New York residents can join any of the following New Jersey online sportsbooks, but you must be physically present in New Jersey to wager:

• 888 Sport
• Barstool
• Bet365
• TwinSpires
• BetMGM
• Borgata Sports
• BetRivers
• Caesars Sports
• DraftKings
• FanDuel
• FOX Bet
• Golden Nugget Sports
• Hard Rock Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• PokerStars Sports
• SugarHouse
• theScore
• Unibet
• William Hill

Incredibly, the market is continuing to grow, and you can expect a few more in 2021.

New York Betting Successes And Failures

New York Sports Betting Success

New York’s sportsbooks were never expected to do as well as states with online sports betting options. While sportsbook revenue continued to rise throughout the end of 2020, a few million is nothing compared to the hundreds of millions generated monthly in New Jersey.

However, Governor Andrew Cuomo had been outspokenly opposed to any form of legal sports betting, even after the US Supreme Court overturned PASPA in May 2018, a federal law prohibiting states from legalizing it.

Despite his opposition, retail sports betting launched in 2019 inside several Upstate New York casinos. That’s far better than nothing, but a far cry from resounding success.

Where Could New York Improve Online Gambling

Sports bettors in New York, particularly those in NYC, are taking their wagers to New Jersey. It can take under ten minutes to get from certain parts of Manhattan via PATH or ferry, which is far easier than the two-hour drive up to Resorts World Catskills.

Bottom line: New Yorkers are spending millions of dollars in more favorable sports betting markets. Some would reasonably consider that a massive legislative failure.

Both Iowa and Indiana launched online sports betting before Illinois. This meant Illinois had similar problems to New York. Even when Illinois launched online betting, the law restricted Illinois bettors by requiring them to visit a retail sportsbook in Illinois to complete registration. In some cases, it was easier for Illinois residents to hop over a border than travel to an Illinois sportsbook to register. This requirement has been suspended, though, for most of 2020 and into 2021. Now, Illiois is the fourth-largest sports betting market in the US.

New York could learn from this example. If New York authorizes online sports betting, it would be an enormous tax revenue boost.

Legalization Effort In New York

The legalization effort in New York State began way back in 2013 when the state passed Senate Bill S5883, which added Article 13 to the Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law.

However, the new bill specifically banned sports wagering “unless federal law governing such wagering is amended or a court finds such law unconstitutional.”

On May 14, 2018, the US Supreme Court indeed found such a law unconstitutional. When the Court overturned PASPA, a 1992 bill restricting states from offering legal sports betting (except for Nevada), New York could pass a bill legalizing sports betting.

Before that even happened, New York Senate Racing, Gaming & Wagering Committee Chair John J. Bonacic sponsored a bill that would have established sports betting regulations ahead of the Supreme Court ruling. However, that bill was still active when he retired that same year.

Thankfully, State Senator Joe Addabbo took over sponsorship of the bill when he became the new Committee Chair, and he became a champion of getting both retail and online sports betting legalized in the state.

Unfortunately, mobile sports betting was not part of the deal. Instead, only retail sportsbooks in Upstate New York casinos could offer legal sports betting.

On July 16, 2019, Schenectady’s Rivers Casino accepted the first legal sports bets, and seven additional retail sportsbooks have opened since.

Timeline For New York Sports Betting

New York Sports Betting Bill

• December 4, 2017: The US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of Christie v. National Collegiate Athletic Association, the result of which would eventually overturn PASPA, the federal ban on states legalizing sports betting.
• March 8, 2018: New York Senate Racing, Gaming & Wagering Committee Chair John J. Bonacic introduced Senate Bill S7900 in an attempt to make state regulators ready to roll out legal sports betting if the US Supreme Court overturns PASPA.
• May 14, 2018: The US Supreme Court ruled in favor of New Jersey and overturned PASPA, allowing states and other federal jurisdictions to legalize sports betting.
• December 21, 2018: Following the retirement of State Senator John J. Bonacic, Senate Bill S7900 found a new sponsor in Joe Addabbo, who took over as the New York Senate Racing, Gaming & Wagering Committee Chair.
• March 20, 2019: The New York State Gaming Commission released regulations regarding sports betting, triggering a 60-day comment period.
• June 10, 2019: The New York State Gaming Commission approves retail sportsbook licenses for four commercial casinos and all tribal casinos in the state.
• July 16, 2019: Rivers Casino Schenectady opens the first legal sportsbook in New York State at its in-house Rivers Sportsbook.
• September 4, 2019: By this day, six additional sportsbooks were open at commercial and tribal casinos across the state: Sportsbook 360 at Resorts World Catskills; DraftKings Sportsbook at del Lago Casino Resort; FanDuel Sportsbook at Tioga Downs; and three Caesars Sportsbook locations at Turning Stone, Point Place, and Yellow Brick Road.
• November 27, 2019: The new Akwesasne Mohawk Casino in Hogansburg by the Canadian border accepted their first sports bet at the in-house PlaySports Sportsbook by IGT. New Yorkers now have seven options across every corner of Upstate.
• January 6, 2020: Governor Andrew Cuomo, a major opponent of online sports betting in New York, announced that the state will finally legalize it in 2021. It remains to be seen how that pans out.

New York Teams

Professional Sports Teams

New York sportsbooks can offer any sort of bet on major league sports, including wagers on all New York teams. And New York boasts some of the best teams in the world. New York is also home to the largest number of professional teams of any region in the US.

NFL Teams In NY

The NFL inspires more sports bets than any other league in the US, and Super Bowl betting in New York is the busiest time of year at the sportsbooks.

The state’s three NFL teams are the Buffalo Bills, New York Giants, and New York Jets.

While the Giants and the Jets play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, both are New York teams. If you attend a game, you can bet on your mobile device on New Jersey’s legal sports betting apps.

NY MLB Teams

New Yorkers bet millions every year on the Yankees and the Mets, a legendary crosstown rivalry. And their enormous fandoms span far beyond the boroughs in which they play. New York bettors can bet on these teams as well as all MLB teams in the US.

NBA Teams In New York

The New York Knicks is an organization best known for having championship teams that never win a championship. And like the Knicks, the Brooklyn Nets haven’t won a Championship since the ABA and NBA merged in 1976. But New York bettors don’t shy away from betting on the underdog, especially if it’s an in-state team.

New York NHL Teams

The Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers represent the State of New York in the NHL. While the Stanley Cup has evaded all of them for close to thirty years, the NHL remains one of the most popular sports for New York betting.

MLS Teams In New York

New York City FC and the New York Red Bulls are two teams that continue to grow in popularity – along with betting on MLS games. On top of international leagues and the World Cup, soccer fans always have a lot of betting opportunities at in-state sportsbooks.

College Sports Teams

While you can bet on college sports in New York, in-state schools are strictly off-limits. That means you can’t bet on Syracuse, Buffalo, Albany, Army, or St. Johns at New York sportsbooks.

A popular workaround is to visit Pennsylvania or New Jersey to bet on New York colleges. In Pennsylvania, you can also bet on their in-state college teams. But in New Jersey, you can’t bet on a game that involves a New Jersey college, or any college game played in the state.

New York’s restriction on in-state colleges won’t change if the state legalizes online sports betting. On top of New Jersey, Illinois also prohibits sports betting on in-state schools and games. But most states do not, including Colorado, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania.

Thankfully, sportsbooks across the state offer free-to-play March Madness bracket tournaments and other promotions surrounding sporting events involving in-state teams. So even if you can’t bet on Syracuse, you can still watch them play while betting on other games.

Other Sports To Bet On In New York

New York boasts world-renowned golf courses that often hold PGA Tour events. As recently as September 14, 2020, the Winged Foot Golf Club in Westchester County hosted the U.S. Open Championship. Turning Stone Casino also offers both a sportsbook and golf course that hosts PGA events, all on the same Verona property.

Another New York favorite is betting on NASCAR and other auto-racing events. Watkins Glen International hosts these events in every professional auto-racing sector, including the NASCAR Cup Series.

Interestingly for sports bettors, Watkins Glen is one of only two NASCAR tracks where they race clockwise. Everywhere else, it’s counterclockwise, adding an additional variable to an already exciting and unpredictable sport.

And at all US sportsbooks, including those in New York, international soccer is one of the most popular choices for bettors. Outside of the major leagues and college football and basketball, the English Premier League and other European divisions attract a large number of in-state wagers.

New York Sports Betting FAQs

No, New York does not allow legal online sports betting from within state lines. However, Governor Andrew Cuomo, State Senator Joe Addabbo, and other lawmakers will attempt to legalize it in 2021. It remains to be seen whether it will be a single, state-run online sportsbook or a casino-style market with several different sportsbook options.

Yes. You can be a legal resident of New York and legally bet online while in New Jersey. You can also legally join, deposit, and withdraw at an online sportsbook in New Jersey, but you need to be physically present in the state to place a bet.

18 or 21. The sports betting age in New York depends on if you’re playing at a commercial casino or a tribal casino. At New York’s four commercial casinos, the sportsbook age is 21 and up. At tribal casinos, such as Turning Stone, Point Place, Yellow Brick Road, and Akwesasne, bettors 18 and up are accepted.

Yes and no. You can bet on college sports in New York as long as it is not an in-state college team like Syracuse or Buffalo. If New York colleges aren’t playing and the game isn’t being held in New York State, it should be available at your closest retail sportsbook. You can call ahead or check the website to see if they’re taking bets on games before you go.

No. If a website accepts a wager from you while you’re in New York State, you’re breaking the law and so is the sportsbook. Aside from the legal risk, illegal betting sites are notorious for refusing to pay winnings or outright disappearing and taking your money with them.

DraftKings DFS and FanDuel DFS are legal in New York State. Both also have retail sportsbooks, DraftKings at del Lago Casino Resort and FanDuel in Tioga Downs. However, the online FanDuel Sportsbook and DraftKings Sportsbook are not legal in New York State. New Yorkers can wager at both by visiting Pennsylvania or New Jersey.

More Resources On New York Sports Betting

• The NYS Gaming Commission website, with resources on rules and regulations, revenue reports, voluntary self-exclusion, and more
• Sports Betting Rules as enforced by the NYS Gaming Commission
• New York Sports on ESPN has the latest coverage on both college and professional sports in the state
• The New York Times Sports section covers both local teams as well as national professional and college sports
• CNY Sports News courtesy of Syracuse.com
• Buffalo News Sports section covers athletics in Western New York
• Times Union Sports has the latest college and high school sports news in Albany and the Capital Region