If it hasn’t hit you yet: Online sports betting has not only been legalized in the state of New York, it’s fully live.
That means that if you’ve had a hankering to bet on the NFL, NBA, UFC or anything else, you can now legally do so as long as you’re over the age of 21.
There are five online sportsbooks up and running in the Empire State. So as long as you’re a resident in the state and of age, you can download the apps of DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars, BetRivers and BetMGM to start today. You’ll have to register an account and make a deposit, which is a fairly quick process. But once you’re done, you’ll be able to bet on the NBA, NHL, NFL or anything else that’s happening in the sports world.
Specifically, though, what can you bet on now that New York online sports betting has launched?
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Can I bet on NY college teams?
With sports betting being regulated and closely monitored by the New York State Gaming Commission, regulators have decided – at least for now – that bettors in the state of New York won’t be able to bet on college programs located in the state.
That means if you want to wager on your favorite school, you unfortunately won’t be able to do so. For college football, that means a ban on wagering on events that involve the likes of Syracuse, Buffalo and Army. That list gets longer when you consider the prohibition on 22 college basketball teams that include various frequent March Madness participants such as:
- Albany
- Buffalo
- Colgate
- Hofstra
- Iona
- LIU
- Manhattan
- St. Bonaventure
- St. John’s
- Siena
- Syracuse
It’s quite unfortunate as people in other jurisdictions with legalized sports betting will still be able to bet on these teams. New York regulators seem to think that there could be a risk of match-fixing or maybe someone from the schools or teams will be betting on their own school (or against their own team). But there are other rules that cover that.
This will now look like a fairly archaic, out-of-date rule, but there’s not much we can do at this point. It’s quite likely that this will eventually change – especially once people realize that if someone wants to do something illicit in New York and bet on something that’s not kosher, they can just do so in Vegas or connect with someone in another state.
So what happens with futures betting?
For bettors who are simply looking to have some fun, this now becomes a little weird when betting on futures.
For example, if you bet on a team to win the ACC in college basketball and Syracuse wins, then bettors in New York would win if they bet on the team that actually finished second (since nobody in New York can bet on Syracuse). Or if you bet a team to win the college football national championship and somehow Army wins, then the sportsbook would actually pay out bettors who bet the runner-up.
It’s a little confusing, but it’s understandable.
Just assume that in the long run (hopefully; we don’t know when that will be), everyone will be able to bet on in-state schools at some point. Right now, this is still fresh and new, and there are lots of people who are worried about malicious betting.
What about betting on college sports in New York?
While you can’t be on the local college teams, the good news is you’ll still be able to bet on events held in New York.
Things like the Big East (held at Madison Square Garden in 2022) and ACC (Barclays Center) college basketball tournaments and the Pinstripe Bowl and other events held at Madison Square Garden are all fair game.
That is, as long as they don’t involve in-state schools.
Other sports to bet on in New York
When you log into your sportsbook account for the first time, you’re going to see all of your favorite sports to bet on. While it might surprise you with the sheer volume of options, this is completely normal and what makes sports betting so much fun.
Of course, you’ll see betting lines like NFL, college football, MLB, NHL, NBA and college basketball. You’ll be able to bet on every single game that takes place throughout the season. (Again, though, so long as college sports don’t involve in-state schools.)
With sports like NFL, you’ll even be able to bet on preseason games. Beyond that, sportsbooks in New York carry odds on darts, soccer, NASCAR, Formula One, every major tour for golf, every tennis event and all sorts of fight sports like UFC, boxing and Mixed Martial Arts.
If you need more, simply drop your sportsbook a line as they might be able to put some things up for you like table tennis, Korean baseball or whatever else you have a hankering for.
What about esports betting in New York?
If you’re big into video games and you live in New York, you’re in luck.
The state of New York is one of the areas in the country where esports is regulated. That means that you’ll be able to bet on it at the sportsbooks in the Empire State.
However, keep in mind it doesn’t mean that they will offer it. It’s still something that is relatively new and not everybody requests. If you do like betting on it, make sure you send messages to customer service at your favorite to get the odds up.
In general, you should see lines on games like League Of Legends, Valorant, Call of Duty, CS:GO, NBA2K, Fortnite and more. Anytime there is a major tournament, you should see all sorts of options from futures (who’ll be the eventually tournament winner) to betting odds for the head-to-head matchups.