New York Sports Betting

Home to a bevy of historic sports franchises, major media corporations, professional sports league headquarters, and a pool of hundreds of thousands of new sports bettors, New York’s foray into legal sports gambling has been closely scrutinized. But alas, the time has come. New York’s race for legal online sports betting officially ended on January 8, 2022, when it launched four top sportsbooks.

Leading NY online sports betting bonus offers

1

PointsBet Sportsbook

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2

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3

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Caesars Sportsbook

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BetRivers Sportsbook

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With the intersection of competing interests, many with deep pockets, it is no wonder that practically every sports betting industry development within the state garners bold headlines. Not only will legalized mobile sports betting in New York have a profound effect on how the four major North American professional sports leagues adjust their policies on gambling, but the model in the Empire State could also serve as an archetype for how a host of others establish legal markets in the years to come.

Now live, a fully mature market in New York will rival Nevada and neighboring New Jersey as the preferred U.S. destination for legal sports betting. In this guide on sports gambling in New York, we’ll take a comprehensive look at the entire sports betting industry within the Empire State, both from an online and retail perspective. We’ll touch on all of the mobile sportsbooks available throughout the state, and hook you up with the best possible promo codes and offers.

Professional New York Sports Teams

Odds from FanDuel Casino & Sportsbook and they are subject to change.

Is sports betting legal in New York?

Yes! Online sports betting officially began in the state of New York on January 8, 2022. You can now place legal bets anywhere within state lines using one of the many licensed sports betting operators. Check the list above for our top NY picks.

Legal sports betting in New York dates back to 2013 when the state passed the upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act. The measure amended the New York state constitution and authorized four unbuilt casinos to eventually accept sports wagering. At the time, the casinos had been prohibited from opening sports wagering facilities due to a decades-old federal ban on sports betting. The ban, however, was, lifted when the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) in May 2018.

In June 2019, the New York State Gaming Commission approved a set of final regulations that pave the way for the debut of legalized sports betting at the aforementioned Upstate casinos. During a closely-watched meeting, the Commission considered a set of regulations that would allow sports wagering at gaming facilities under Article 13 of the state’s Racing Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law. The motion passed without opposition, by a 6-0 vote.

The regulations enabled the four casinos and their gaming partners to launch sportsbook operations upon the completion of a license application process set forth by the Commission.

• Del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County (DraftKings)
• Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County (Bet365)
• Rivers Casino in Schenectady County (Rush Street Interactive/BetRivers and Kambi)
• Tioga Downs in Tioga County (Betfair US/FanDuel Sportsbook)

Rivers became the first retail casino in state history to accept a legalized sports bet on July 16, 2019, when a 5,000 square ft. sports lounge powered by Rush Street and Kambi opened its doors. A sportsbook at Tioga Downs followed with its debut days later.

Mobile betting legalization in New York

Former Governor Andrew Cuomo long took the position that a constitutional amendment was needed to authorize sports gambling at locations beyond the state’s existing Upstate casinos. All that changed in the spring of 2021 when the former Governor and legislative leaders hammered out a compromise to legalize mobile sports betting statewide that was signed into law as part of the state budget.

Of course, it all came down to money. New York’s state revenues were decimated by COVID, and tax revenue from mobile sports betting would be significant, to say the least. So the state leaders put aside their differences and came together to get mobile sports betting done. The New York Gaming Commission is in charge of regulating mobile sports betting in the state, and back in July 2021 they requested applications to select one or more sportsbook operators to offer mobile betting statewide. It was up to the operators to detail in their application how much they were willing to hand over to the state in the form of a tax rate. On November 8, it was announced that nine operators would receive permits, each paying an eye-watering 51 percent tax rate, which is far and away the highest tax rate in the country. Operators now pay that huge tax after paying a $25 million (!!) fee for a sports betting license. Operating in NY is not for the faint of heart or pocketbook.

That said, even 49% of the potential revenues from mobile sports betting in NY is A LOT of revenue. New York immediately became one of the largest markets in the nation and is likely to end up overtaking New Jersey as the #1 sports betting state based on revenue.

NY mobile sports betting operators

As mentioned, on November 8, 2021, regulators in New York announced that nine operators had be issued licenses to offer mobile sports betting in the state. This is in addition to the existing retail sportsbooks currently operating upstate. The entire application process was complicated and drawn out, but it was closely watched because NY will be the biggest state to have a competitive mobile betting marketplace.

The nine operators were chosen from two applications that combined the companies into two super-applications (one application had 4 operators and the other had 5). The companies strategized and came up with a plan to maximize their chances of being approved. The bottom line is that the following nine operators are either already live, or coming to New York soon, each paying a 51% tax rate.

Kambi-affiliated companies

BetRivers

Rivers Casino in Schenectady is already up and running, in partnership with Rush Street Interactive and Kambi. The company’s mobile/online sports betting brand, Bet Rivers, launched on January 8, 2022, day 1 of mobile sports betting in the state. Bet Rivers is already operational in neighboring Pennsylvania and SugarHouse, its sister brand, is live in New Jersey and Connecticut. Kambi, the mammoth sports betting technology provider, submitted and managed the winning bid that included five of its customers, the other four of which are listed below.

Caesars

Through its partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation, Caesars is retail operating sportsbooks at Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino, and Point Place Casino. Caesars has operational mobile/online sports betting products in other states and went live online in NY on January 8, 2022.

PointsBet

PointsBet has become a solid competitor in the states in which it operates, offering unique betting options and an easy-to-use interface. Its partnership with NBC Sports has helped its brand recognition. Being included as a licensee in New York was a huge step forward for PointsBet, as the company officially went live in New York on January 25, 2022.

WynnBET

WynnBET is another mid-level operator trying to break into the upper echelons of the sports betting industry. It is, of course, backed by the mighty Wynn hotel brand and WynnBET Casino, but that affiliation hasn’t driven people to the app like the Wynn executives might have hoped/expected. Entering the NY market will be a huge boost for WynnBET.

Genting/Resorts World

Resorts World owns and operates large casinos across the world, including a spanking new one that just opened on the Las Vegas Strip. More relevant to the people of New York is the company’s ownership of a casino in the Catskills that currently offers retail sports betting through a partnership with Bet365. Resorts World does have a sports betting app. Formerly, it was available only in Nevada but New York users are now able to operate the app. Sports betting does not seem to be at the core of the company’s operating strategy, but that seems likely to change with its significant investment in the New York mobile sports betting market.

Other online sportsbooks in NY

DraftKings

DraftKings is partnered with del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County, via an agreement that was put in place in July 2018. DraftKings launched its mobile platform on January 8, 2022. It is also expected that DraftKings will become a market leader in the space, drawing from the company’s brand power and experience with sports betting in other states.

FanDuel

FanDuel is partnered with Tioga Downs and, like DraftKings, brought its mobile platform to the state on January 8, 2022. NY has the potential to be one of the biggest, if not the biggest, legal sports betting markets in the U.S., and FanDuel, which is not coincidentally headquartered in New York City, is expected to be a major player.

BetMGM

You’ve seen the BetMGM ads. Get ready to use its terrific sportsbook app. BetMGM launched in the state of New York on January 17, 2022. While they were a few days behind the first wave of sportsbooks to go online, it won’t slow them down. The company is sure to quickly rise to the top of the revenue charts, competing with the likes of FanDuel, Caesars, and DraftKings for #1 in the state.

Bally Bet

We at USBets expect to see a lot more of Bally Bet in 2022. It is currently executing some very aggressive expansion plans and has the deep pockets and brand recognition to compete in each state where it operates. The inclusion of Bally Bet as a licensee in New York is a significant step forward for the company, which should be able to carve out a sizable chunk of the sports betting market in the state.

NY sports betting at tribal and non-commercial casinos

In January 2019, Caesars Entertainment inked a partnership with the Oneida Indian Nation that allowed for sports betting to be brought to three Central New York locations. Under the deal, Caesars opened sports betting lounges at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, as well as Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango and Point Place Casino in Bridgeport.

The deal with Caesars positioned the Oneida nation to be among the first tribal groups in the U.S. to open a legal sportsbook. New York tribal groups had several tools at their disposal to make legal sports betting happen. The National Indian Gaming Commission (NIGC) views sports gambling as a Class III gaming activity, the same designation it has given to pari-mutuel betting. Furthermore, a three-decades-old tribal gaming law, the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA), requires states to allow sports betting for tribal groups if the state authorizes the activity for non-tribal gaming operators.

There are a dozen tribal casinos in New York, the majority located west of the state capital in Albany. In addition to Turning Stone Resort & Casino, Yellow Brick Road Casino, and Point Place Casino, sportsbooks are in operation at Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino, Seneca Niagara Casino, and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. The Saint Regis Mohawk Nation opened a sportsbook at a casino located near the Canadian border, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort.

Tribal and non-commercial NY sports betting venues

• Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort
• Point Place Casino
• Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino
• Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino
• Seneca Niagara Casino
• Turning Stone Resort & Casino
• Yellow Brick Road Casino

Land-based sportsbooks in NY

New York Sports Betting FAQs