The New York State Gaming Commission unanimously approved rules on Monday that would allow in-person sports betting at four upstate casinos.
The formal approval makes New York the 14th state to legalize betting.
The four upstate casinos are Resorts World, Rivers Casino, Tioga Downs and Del Lago.
Despite the fact that New York passed a law in 2013 that would allow four upstate casinos to take sports bets once the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) of 1992 was undone, the state moved slower than others.
New Jersey, whose case against the government resulted in the Supreme Court ruling on PASPA in May 2018, began taking bets in June of last year. In its first year, thanks to nearly 80% mobile betting, New Jersey will boast a handle north of $3 billion. Other surrounding states also could have taken business from New York, including Delaware, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, but to date, none of those three states offered true mobile betting.
Mobile sports betting isn’t part of the sports betting landscape in New York — at least yet — but the possibility remains that a bill that includes mobile could become a law by the time the state’s legislative session adjourns next Wednesday.
Sports leagues, which have been lobbying to get states to pass their sports betting bills to include an integrity fee that goes back to them, failed once again with New York. The bill also doesn’t require that operators use official data, which closes the league out of another revenue stream. This falls in line of most states, though Illinois requires official data to be used for in-play wagering operations.
Similar to many states, including New Jersey, New York operators won’t be able to take bets on college teams that play in the state.
