New York became a legal sports betting state in July 2019.
In a spectacular launch, politicians and athletes gathered at the Rivers Casino in Schenectady. The city’s Mayor Gary McCarthy placed the first bet.
Since then, seven more land-based casinos in New York have opened sportsbooks. The four commercial casinos in the state are joined by four tribal casinos.
Online sports betting has yet to launch in New York, but there are rumblings that it as well as mobile wagering may not be too far in the future. PlayNY will keep you informed about all the latest launches, news, and updates surrounding sports betting in New York.
Updated: April 13, 2021
For years, the main reason gambling expansion wasn’t getting done in New York is because the parties involved could not compromise. However, now that everyone has compromised, the end result might just be worse than no online sportsbooks at all.
After Gov. Andrew Cuomo teased a state-run sports betting model for weeks but failed to provide any details, it seemed as though there was an opportunity to push through the casino-based licensing model legislators have been trying to pass for a couple of years. When Cuomo started to get mired in controversy, key lawmakers thought there was potential to push sports betting through on their terms. After all, Cuomo’s political capital is at an all-time low.
Turns out Cuomo was not ready to wave the white flag though. With the state budget for next year due on April 1, negotiations on sports betting went into the eleventh hour. The end result that should end up in the budget is largely Cuomo’s plan and generates more questions than answers.
Lawmakers agreed to move forward with the state-run model, though they did include language assuring a minimum of four sports betting apps in the state.
The New York Lottery will oversee online sports betting in the state, but it will be the New York State Gaming Commission that will select at least two operators as the state’s mobile sports betting partners. Those partners, who will pay an initial license fee of $25 million, would then dole out “skins” to other operators.
A request of proposals will be issued by July 1, after which applicants will have 30 days to respond. From there, the state will have 150 days to choose the sports betting platforms.
The Senate and General Assembly both approved the state budget, signaling the official countdown of online sports betting in New York.
In January 2019, the New York State Gaming Commission released rules for betting in the state, basing its guidelines on the 2013 gaming expansion law.
Even before the first legal wagers were placed in July 2019, legislators began pushing for the authorization of online sports betting. Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. was at the front of the effort, but time and again, the quest to expand regulated wagering online has fell short.
The latest effort appears to have finally succeeded. Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has expressed his desire not to have online betting in New York, eased up on the idea to provide funding for his budget. However, his plan for online betting was much different than the one lawmakers have proposed in the past.
The framework is largely a state-run model. The legislation calls for the NYSGC to contract with two “platform providers,” who will each hold at least two skins to delve out. It isn’t yet clear exactly who qualifies to be a platform provider or how the state will solve the potential conflict with tribal exclusivity zones. For the time being, though, it looks like Cuomo got his wish and legal online sports betting is coming to the Empire State at some point.
New York is home to nearly a dozen retail sportsbooks. Each of the four commercial casinos has its own sports betting facility, and seven tribal casinos have opened their own books. However, New York’s sports betting opportunity is hampered by the fact that each casino location is located upstate, far from New York City. Although New Yorkers who live upstate are benefitting from a wide selection of betting locations, few states would benefit more from online sports betting than the Empire State.
At any rate, here are the details about the sportsbook locations in New York:
Casino | Address | NY Sportsbook |
---|---|---|
Akwesansa Mohawk Casino & Resort | 873 State Rte. 37, Hogansburg | Sticks Sports Book & Grill |
Del Lago Resort Casino, Waterloo | 1133 NY-414, Waterloo, NY 13165 | DraftKings |
Point Place Casino, Bridgeport | 450 NY-31, Bridgeport, NY 13478 | The Lounge with Caesars Sports |
Resorts World Catskills, Monticello | 888 Resorts World Dr, Monticello, NY 12701 | Bet365 |
Rivers Casino & Resort, Schenectady | 1 Rush St, Schenectady, NY 12305 | Rivers |
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino | 1 Fulton St., Buffalo | Sports Book |
Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino | 310 4th St., Niagara Falls | Sports Lounge |
Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino | 777 Seneca Allegany Blvd., Salamanca | Sports Lounge |
Tioga Downs, Nichols | 2384 W River Rd, Nichols, NY 13812 | PointsBet |
Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona | 5218 Patrick Rd, Verona, NY 13478 | Caesars |
Yellow Brick Road Casino, Chittenango | 800 W Genesee St, Chittenango, NY 13037 | Caesars |
Sports betting takes place at the Rivers Sportsbook, a 5,000 square foot equipped with 18 individual VIP club chairs and table seating for around 80 customers. There are five private booths each with TV monitors and each spacious enough for six people.
There is a 53′ x 9′ video wall with 22 additional 86” TV monitors. There is no excuse for missing the action.
Fourteen betting kiosks cater to those comfortable with user-friendly technology and six betting windows for those who prefer the personal touch. Kiosks are open for bets from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily. Betting window hours are 7 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. daily.
The casino is located at 1 Rush St, Schenectady, NY 12305.
Smaller than the Rivers Sportsbook, but still substantial, the Tioga Downs Sportsbook occupies 2,600 square feet close to the casino’s main entrance.
There are eight betting windows and 27 separate video displays including a large video wall. Seating is available for over 50 customers including 12 lounge seats, seven high tables, and two drinks rails.
The sportsbook is open:
Tioga Downs is located at 2384 W River Rd, Nichols, NY 13812.
The new sportsbook at the Del Lago Casino covers over 6,000 square feet of action. There are four betting windows and a total of 23 betting kiosks. Kiosks are open 24/7.
Games and odds are displayed on over 1,000 square feet of video screens. For in-game betting, there are real-time odds boards. One differentiator offered at Del Lago is that they have over 30 different varieties of beer on tap.
Opening hours are:
The Del Lago Resort Casino is located at 1133 NY-414, Waterloo, NY 13165.
Resorts World calls its sports betting area Sportsbook 360. That’s because there is a bar at the center surrounded by 360 degrees of video screens. In the 6,000 square foot area, there are 35 75-inch flat-screen displays plus a 9′ x 16′ definition screen.
The sportsbook comfortably seats over 100 and there are 14 betting kiosks open 24 hours a day to accept wagers when the betting counter is closed.
Opening hours are:
The Resorts World Casino is located at 888 Resorts World Dr, Monticello, NY 12701.
Three tribal casinos run by the Oneida Indian Nation also have sports betting up and running. All are partnered with Caesars Entertainment using a platform provided by Scientific Games:
Known as “The Lounge with Caesars Sports,” the Turning Stone sports betting area has gone for a chic look. Blue leather high-backed chairs and a long translucent bar provide a modern aesthetic. The bar offers signature cocktails and a range of craft beers.
There are 17 screens available to display the action. The largest is 48′ long and 9′ high.
Opening hours are:
The Turning Stone Casino is located at 5218 Patrick Rd, Verona, NY 13478.
Built along similar lines to the Turning Point Casino, the Point Place sportsbook is also known as “The Lounge with Caesars Sports.”
The sportsbook area boasts a 24′-high resolution video wall plus 30 big LED screens. There are also luxury VIP areas with their own dedicated screens where you can follow the action.
Opening hours are:
Point Place Casino is located at 450 NY-31, Bridgeport, NY 13030.
The third “The Lounge with Caesars Sports” is at the Oneida Nation’s Yellow Brick Road Casino.
The lounge has a 32′ video wall and over 30 large display TVs. The largest six of these have 85-inch screens. There are also seven VIP areas known as “caves” for exclusive game-day events and dozens of recliners to relax in as you watch the action.
All in all the area offers space for over 200 sports fans.
Opening hours are:
Yellow Brick Road Casino is located at 800 W Genesee St, Chittenango, NY 13037.
Located a mere 15 miles from Bills Stadium, this sportsbook has the essentials for betting customers. This includes televisions and self-service kiosks open and accessible around the clock every day. Looking to minimize time spent in betting lines? Simply use a bet-building app to select your bets, bring the QR code to the sportsbook or ticket window, and scan to complete your transaction.
Opening hours are:
Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino is located at 1 Fulton St, Buffalo, New York 14204.
Similar to sister Seneca properties, the Sports Lounge sportsbook offers ample seating and screens to catch the game. In addition to betting windows and self-service kiosks, customers have access to a bet-building app to preset wagers. They will need to take that QR code to the sportsbook to complete their transaction.
Opening hours are:
Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino is located at 310 4th St, Niagara Falls, NY 14303.
It should come as no shock that the Sports Lounge at Seneca Allegany closely resembles the retail sportsbooks at the other two Seneca casinos. That means access to TVs to follow the game as well as to betting windows and self-service kiosks. As ever with Seneca, bettors can build their bets via an app before bringing in the QR code to scan at the sportsbook to complete the transaction.
Opening hours are:
Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino is located at 777 Seneca Allegany Blvd, Salamanca, New York 14779.
The Sticks Sports Book & Grill at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort boasts a 9-by-13-foot high-definition video wall to complement 18 65-inch TVs. If that weren’t enough, guests will be greeted by various odds boards while relaxing in comfortable seating.
Opening hours are:
Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort is located at 873 NY-37, Hogansburg, New York 13655.
While New York allows some gambling such as buying lottery tickets for 18-year-olds, the minimum age for sports betting is 21.
New York does not allow online gambling or mobile gambling. You are not allowed to place sports bets using your mobile device.
There are no legal online poker or online casino games permitted in New York. If you are playing these games or sports betting online while in New York, you are doing so at an unregulated site. You have no legal protection in the event anything goes wrong.
You can, however, play online poker at Global Poker and online casino games at Chumba for real money under sweepstakes law.
Those in New York wanting more legal and regulated online gaming options should lobby their state senator and assemblyman. Requesting their legislators approve a bill to allow online gaming in New York could help tip the scales in their favor.
PASPA carved out an exemption for states which already had legal sports betting. That is how Las Vegas sportsbooks have managed to operate since 1992.
The odds quoted in Las Vegas vary from casino to casino depending on which technology platform they use. Top Vegas casino owner Caesars Entertainment is partnered with three of New York’s sports betting casinos, so the odds should generally match those on offer in Vegas.
Any differences that exist will usually be the result of local promotions and special offers.
The gambling tax rate in Nevada is 6.75 percent while it is 10 percent in New York. While significant, the difference is not enough to have any real effect on the odds posted in New York.
The NYSGC allows betting on 11 sports. Betting is restricted to specific tournaments or leagues. Click on the name of the sport to see exactly what bets are allowed for each:
Fans of local college teams are not allowed to bet on events where their home team is participating.
The NYSGC will update this list as time goes on but the regulatory mood probably won’t allow betting on esports or on esoteric events such as the Oscars.
As with the range of permitted sports, the NYSGC specifies what bet types are allowed for each sport. Some of the most popular bet types allowed by the regulations are:
Moneyline bets are simple bets on the outcome of a game. The odds on moneyline bets are slightly more complicated if you aren’t an experienced sports bettor.
Odds are quoted as a positive or negative number. For example, an NFL game between the Buffalo Bills and Dallas Cowboys might see moneyline odds of:
The + sign means that the Bills are the underdogs in the game. The larger the number, the higher or longer the odds. That means a wager on the Bills would return more money than your original stake if they win. If you bet $100 in this case, you would win $150 because the odds are +150.
The Cowboys are the favorite so you will win less for every dollar you bet. You have to bet $110 to win $100 here.
Futures bets are wagers on events where the outcome will not be known for some time. Allowable futures bets are specified precisely by the NYSGC. For example, if you’re an NHL fan and want to bet on the winner of the Stanley Cup, you can.
Spread bets are not bets on which team will win, but on whether a team will beat expectations. In the moneyline example above, the Bills are the underdogs. With a spread bet you can still win on the Bills even if they lose the game. It’s a great way to bet on your team when you think they are unlikely to win but may cover the spread.
The sportsbook quotes a spread which is based on their central estimate of the most likely score. If your team wins by more than the spread, you win your bet. If your team loses by less than the spread, you win. For example, if you bet on the Cowboys -3 and they win by at least 4, you win your bet. If you take the Bills +3 and they lose by 2 or 1 or tie or win, you would be a winner.
The winner of a match is irrelevant in a totals bet. The bet depends only on the total of both teams’ scores at the end of the match. You bet on whether the final score total will be over or under a figure quoted.
In a recent baseball match between the Dodgers and the Padres, the totals bet was quoted as:
In this game, the bookmaker expects the most probable total runs in the game to be 10.5. If you take the over, you need at least 11 runs to win. If you take the under, you win if the total scores combine for 10 or fewer runs. The difference in the odds quoted for each determines your exact payout and provides the bookmaker’s profit.
The O and the U next to each team’s name differentiates the over from the under.
Parlay bets are extremely popular because they connect several simple bets to allow for a big win from a small initial wager.
In a parlay bet, you wager on multiple games, usually taking place on the same day. Instead of making individual bets on each game, you make a single wager combining all your bets. To win the parlay you must win all the bets included. If any of the bets are losers, you lose the parlay.
The chances of guessing the winners of multiple games are much lower than predicting just a single game. For that reason, the odds you get for making a parlay wager are much higher than for a simple moneyline bet. That means a much larger potential win.
A stake of only a few dollars can potentially lead to a six-figure win—if you can get very, very lucky.
In-game or in-play betting refers to bets placed after a match has started. The NYSGC allows all its permitted bets for each sport to be made in-game.
It depends on what taxes you mean. If you happen to realize winnings over the course of a tax year, then you do need to claim them as part of your federal, state, and local income taxes. However, the tax rate mentioned in the New York sports betting law is a 10% levy on the sportsbooks themselves. They must pay 10% for the privilege of operating in the state. So, don’t worry about that bit of taxation, but don’t blow off paying your taxes on gambling winnings, either.
Daily fantasy sports are legal and regulated in New York.
On Aug 3, 2016, the state enacted a law that allows DFS sites to serve the New York population. Major operators like DraftKings and FanDuel, which had previously been forced to abandon the state under an order from Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, returned to the state.
A 2017 report from the NYSGC showed DFS operators generated $18,621,700 in gross gaming revenue in New York from September 2016 through January 2017. In other words, they averaged $3,724,340 each month.
The state collected 15 percent, or a total of $2,796,182, in taxes from DFS operators during that period.
Extrapolated estimates would put annual DFS revenues in New York at $44.6 million per year with taxes of around $6.7 million.
The American Gaming Association estimates Americans bet $154 billion on sports in 2016. Nearly all of those wagers were made through illegal channels, like personal bookies and offshore websites.
Based upon per-capita rates of betting, New York’s 19.75 million residents likely bet around $9.38 billion on sports in 2016.
If you have any problems with bets you have placed or any other issue with a specific operator, you should first talk to the casino management. If that doesn’t work, or you have any general issues to do with sports betting, you can contact the regulator:
New York State Gaming Commission
Mailing Address:
New York State Gaming Commission, PO Box 7500, Schenectady, New York 12301-7500
The NYSGC also has facilities offices at the main casinos:
Turning Stone Casino
Mohawk Casino
Seneca Niagara Casino
Seneca Allegany Casino
Seneca Buffalo Casino
Yellow Brick Road Casino
Resorts World New York City Casino
Empire City Casino Yonkers Raceway
Saratoga Casino & Raceway
Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack
Monticello Casino & Raceway
Hamburg Gaming at The Fairgrounds
Tioga Downs Casino
Vernon Downs Casino & Hotel
Batavia Downs
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