What’s the deal with legalized sports betting in New York?
After much speculation that New York may swerve clear of legalized sports betting, it seems they may have take a slight turn towards a direction of legalization.
The NY State Gaming Commission is now that it is its ready to submit regulations no matter of what occurs in the statehouse. Albany lawmakers have been attempting to bring together a more robust law than the one they passed back in 2013, allowing sports wagering at their four commercial casinos upstate.
ASen. John Bonacic filed an amendment this May to his Senate bill, likely in an attempt to prompt sports betting in New York forward before the session expires. New York lawmakers are scheduled to adjourn on June 20, so they are battling against time.
New York regulators ready to roll?
News was broken by The Democrat & Chronicle that NY regulators are drafting regulations that work side by side with existing New York laws, the process beginning prior to last week’s ruling from the US Supreme Court.
The commission had maintained that the situation in regard to legalized sports betting was “under review.” Now it seems that their regulations might be under review in short order.
No matter what happens over the shorter term, additional legislation will most likely hit the books in the future. The state’s Native American tribes and horse racing industry of course don’t want to be left out of the potential cash cow.
“Native American casinos — including those in western New York operated by the Senecas — will be allowed to take sports bets, their tribes contend.”
The commission appears ready to move forward with sports betting regulations while lawmakers sort out the smaller refined details.
Sen. Bonacic amends New York sports betting bill
There are a few paths to more extensive New York sports betting, and all paths go through New York Sen. Bonacic. He chairs his chamber’s Gaming, Racing and Wagering Committees, while trying to get some forward movement of his own piece of legislation.
In May, Boncaic filed an amendment to his bill (S 7900), which would extend sports betting to tracks and off-track betting locations. The bill seems to have considerable support, however it’s unclear whether there’s enough to get it moving in the short term.
The bill amendment places restrictions on the number of mobile betting partnerships that a casino are allowed to have, with servers required to to be located within the walls of the licensed facility. It also removes a requirement for in-person registration for remote betting accounts and creates interstate provisions for data sharing.
Assemblyman Gary Pretlow also announced his desire to expedite a sports betting bill through his chamber. Both Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, however, recently advised that they will be approaching cautiously.
A $9 Billion Plus Market
The American Gaming Association estimates Americans wagered $154 billion on sports in 2016, with almost all of that wagered through illegal bookmakers and offshore sports betting websites.
Broken down by population, that means that New York’s population of approximately 19 million people wager an approximately $9+ billion on sports in 2016.
What would legal sports betting in NY look like?
Back in 2013, NY voters supported a constitutional amendment allowing commercial gaming/wagering licenses in the state of New York. The state granted licenses to three different projects a year later.
Following the three initial project grants, a fourth commercial casino license was given to Tioga Downs in Nichols, New York later in 2016. In December of the same year, the Tioga Downs Casino opened, becoming New York state’s first commercial casino property.
The Del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo, New York and Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady, NY both opened in February 2017. The Montreign Resort and Casino in the Catskill Mountains will likely open under the umbrella of the Resorts World brand in 2018.
It’s expected that sports betting in New York would kick off initially with these four commercial casino properties. The state could also extend sports betting to include any of the gaming operations on the list of casinos, racetracks and Native American gaming operations in New York.
New York may also permit other off-track betting operations to offer sports wagering.
Aggressive steps need to be taken
Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, D-Bronx, have issued their caution, with Cuomo wondering if there’s time to take up a broader gambling bill.
Ochrym did not say when the Gaming Commission rules will be ready.
Once after the commissions formal proposal, they would be subject to a 45 day public comment period before they can be put into place.
Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural said he thinks that the 2013 law needs to be expanded to allow online sports betting betting.
Most illegal gambling today is done online and will continue to do so unless that law is changed, he said.
“It’s all being done illegally online,” Gural said Monday on “The Capitol Pressroom,” a public radio program.
“So if we don’t provide the same convenience that people have today, they’ll just stay betting illegally online.”
Gural an owner of the Meadowlands racetrack in New Jersey, who are pushing to add sports betting at its facility near the New York line.
