All Bets Are Off: WynnBet Closes Up Shop On New York Sportsbook

Written By Grant Lucas on July 30, 2024
Image of Wynn Las Vegas for a story on WynnBet shutting down its New York sports betting operations.

The transition to ESPN has begun in New York.

WynnBet, which has been live in the NY sports betting world since February 2022, officially stopped taking bets in the Empire State on Monday.

Wynn’s website has updated to include New York among the 10 jurisdictions in which its platform has “closed operations.”

What to know about WynnBet NY shutting down

According to the site, WynnBet Sportsbook NY users can still access their accounts until 11 a.m. on Aug. 29, by which time you should withdraw all funds.

In August 2023, Wynn announced that it was shutting down sports betting and online casino operations in eight jurisdictions. New York, however, remained operational but “under review,” according to the press release.

At the time, Julie Cameron-Doe, chief financial officer for Wynn Resorts, noted that “the dearth of iGaming legislation … have led us to the decision to curtail our capital investment in WynnBet.”

Transition to ESPN Bet begins

Certainly, the hopes of legalizing NY online casinos stood as a reason for Wynn to keep its New York sportsbook afloat.

But that belief changed in February, when Penn Entertainment Wynn’s sports betting license for $25 million – allowing Penn to launch ESPN Bet in the Empire State.

And, according to Penn, the timeline remains the same for ESPN Bet NY to go live by fall.

As for WynnBet, Monday’s closure marks an unceremonious end to a two-and-a-half-year run in New York. The sportsbook accepted $233.1 million in bets during that time, which ranks seventh among the nine platforms. It’s $11.3 million in NY sports betting revenue ranks eighth.

Wynn still hopes for a NY presence

Not all of Wynn’s business in New York is complete, however.

Along with Related Companies, Wynn has targeted Hudson Yards to potentially develop a Wynn New York City downstate casino.

With three licenses available, Wynn has expressed its optimism to obtain one. And if it does, according to Related CEO Jeff Blau, it could “provide generational benefits” to the state.

Recently, though, the proposed Wynn casino has faced plenty of opposition from locals, with one local nonprofit known as the High Line emphasizing that Wynn New York City “would negatively impact the experience of millions of visitors and obstruct important and iconic views.”

Photo by Jae C. Hong / AP Photo
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Written by
Grant Lucas

Grant Lucas is the managing editor for PlayNY. A longtime, award-winning sports writer, Grant has covered gambling and legal sports betting since 2018, when he got his start reporting on the New Jersey and Pennsylvania industries. He now oversees PlayNY as New York expands legalized gambling to sports betting and online casino gaming.

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