New York Approves In-Person Sports Betting in Brick and Mortar Venues

Finally, lawmakers from the state of New York have given the thumbs up to sports betting at casino venues.

The four state casinos have received permission to offer this type of gambling at their premises…

…while the question of legal mobile sports wagering is still waiting to be answered.

More Details on Sports Betting in NY

The New York State Gaming Commission at the beginning of this week collectively authorized in-person wagering on sports events at four casinos in the state.

The approved casinos are Resorts World Catskills in Kiamesha Lake, Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, Tioga Downs in Nichols and Del Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre.

But, customers won’t be able to place their wagers at these venues until the casinos officially obtain their betting licenses…

…which is expected to happen by the end of this summer.

Even though many are saying that the casinos will receive yet another source of income, statistics show that land-based sports betting is not as lucrative as the online variant.

Mobile Betting in NY

Although legislators from the state have already been discussing the mobile option…

…bettors will still have to wait till June 19th to see if the mobile wagering bill has a future or not.

The legislative session will take place on that date, but it is not 100% sure if the bill will even be voted on.

Governor Andrew Cuomo is still strongly against the legalization of digital wagering and he believes that the state should amend the constitution first. But, it would be a long process since it requires issuing a referendum and putting the bill in front of the voters.

However, if the mobile sports betting bill es, NY would be the first state to approve major sports leagues integrity fees.

According to the legislation, all licensed operators in the state would have to remit 0.2% of their handle to the leagues.

Senecas Still in Dispute with the State

This new regulation also gave approval to New York tribal casino operator to offer sports betting in their venues…

…and one of the tribes, the Seneca Nation of Indians, has to inform the state if they plan to do so.

At the end of April, the Seneca representatives challenged the ruling by an arbitration court in New York against the Seneca Nation of Indians by which the tribe is supposed to pay up $256 million to the state of New York.

Their dispute with New York State in January ended in defeat for the Senecas, who refused to share 25% of slot revenue with the state, as was stipulated in a gaming contract between the tribe and the state.

At the same time, the arbitration consisting of three persons wagered, with a vote of 2 against 1, that the tribe owed over $200m to NY state.

Source:

“New York casinos okayed to offer in-person sports betting”, Steven Stradbrooke, calvinayre.com, June 10, 2019.