New York Becomes 14th State To Legalize Sports Betting

Updated On Jun 12, 2019 by Landon Wheeler

The New York Gaming Commission has given the green light to launch and run sports betting services in Upstate New York. The development allows New Yorkers to place real money bets as early as this summer, on the results of major televised sports like american football, soccer, baseball, and basketball, among others.

New York is now the 14th state wherein sports betting has been legalized, since the U.S. Supreme Court in May 2018 overturned the federal law that restricted sports betting to only the state of Nevada.

Betting loungers across New York are predicted to be operational by August 1, in time for the regular season kick-off of the NFL.

We must point out that the proposed state guidelines forbid bets on New York college teams and college sporting events in the state. However, the approved rules impose that players are required to make all bets in person only at sports lounges in the state’s four new commercial (non-Indian nation) casinos, or at one of the region’s seven full-service Indian nation-owned casinos.

New York lawmakers are also pushing to allow online betting through mobile devices and personal computers, but they are pressed for time. In order to meet the August deadline, the bill S17 must be approved before the 2019 state Legislature session adjourns for the year, which is just a few days away(19 June). The proposal will also have to secure the approval of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Cuomo has stated in the past that allowing online sports gambling may require amendments to the state constitution, which could effectively take between two to three years to approve and enact.

Casinos Building Hi-Tech Betting Lounges

The construction of betting lounges in casinos around the state is well on the way. Among those that have expressed their interest in sports gambling are Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County; Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier and del Lago Resort & Casino near Waterloo.

Del Lago is slated to operate a sports betting platform powered by DraftKings, a Boston-based daily fantasy sports company. The casino plans to put up a 6,000-square-foor bar and restaurant with floor-to-ceiling video displays and high-definition LED terminals where fans can enjoy and watch games. The betting lounge is also set to feature 20 self-service wager kiosks.

While the lack of online betting options will inconvenience New Yorkers, they will be happy that they have legalized sports betting in the state.

All things casino related are what interests Landon, and having been involved in that industry for the last thirty years and having actually worked in several different roles in the casino industry he is definitely very well placed to keep you in the know in regards to what is happening in the casino industry as a whole.

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