The Big Question: Is Online Sports Betting Legal in New York?
We hear the question a lot, is sports betting legal in new york? And the answer is yes.
Betting on sports is legal in the Empire State. Both online and in-person betting at New York casinos is available to residents of the state.
Nine sportsbook applications have been made accessible in the state since online sports betting began in January 2022. More may follow.
Sports betting in New York’s commercial casinos were authorized in 2013. After the federal prohibition on sports betting was lifted, the first brick sportsbook venues opened for business in July 2019.
The state legislature authorized online sports betting as part of the 2021 budget quite early in the year.
In April, Governor Andrew Cuomo signed it into law, and by September, online sports betting had joined the list of permitted activities in New York.
Is Mobile Sports Betting Legal in New York?
Sports betting in person was introduced in 2019 after the act was passed in 2013. However, the mobile side of things had to wait a little longer, suffering setbacks along the way.
Eventually, those asking is mobile sports betting legal in New York got the answer they were looking for!
As we explained above, the moment of legal mobile sports betting came in early 2022. Along with the licensing of several top-name sportsbooks, mobile betting platforms were also included.
The decision of which brands were accepted took a lot of work. But the end result is that you have a guaranteed legal and safe mobile betting experience, no matter which site you join.
Why is Sports Betting Legal in New York?
Since the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to overturn a federal prohibition on sports betting, those with ties to gambling had been aggressively pressing New York to legalize the industry.
It’s why you always heard the question, is sports betting legal in New York, from all corners of the state. The people wanted it, but laws like this take time to pass through the courts.
In 2019, private and Native American-operated casinos in New York were given permission to offer sports betting. The mobile betting provision was slipped into the state’s $212 billion budget plan in April by Cuomo and legislators.
State authorities were quick to embrace it for one very practical reason: money.
The state is enforcing a 51% tax on mobile sports betting companies’ gross profits. That has the potential to bring in a lot of cash for the state.
The state’s Division of the Budget projects that once mobile wagering is fully operational, it will rake in more than almost $480 million annually.
Where Does The NY Sportsbook Money Go?
For all those asking is online sports betting legal in New York, the next question is usually related to where the money goes
Online gambling generates a lot of money, so people rightly want to know where the money ends up.
State tax on mobile betting earnings will, for the most part, be distributed in the same fashion as conventional gambling tax revenue.
About 80% of the money is set aside by state law for two specific uses: funding public elementary and secondary schools and helping homeowners with their property taxes.
The legislation regarding mobile betting also set aside a certain amount of money for two additional objectives.
One percent of the first year’s tax income from mobile wagering in the state will go toward helping those with gambling problems and spreading awareness about the issue. It will increase to $6,000,000 annually in the years following.
Another one percent goes to the first year’s state subsidies for underprivileged kids’ sports programs. After that point, $5,000,000 annually will be allocated for that function.
So, is sports betting legal in NY? Yes. Does the money generated from gambling go to good causes? Yes, it does look that way.
New York Betting History Overview
- Much talk has happened since the Supreme Court knocked down the 1992 federal prohibition on sports gambling outside of Nevada. The state legislature sought to forge an agreement on lawful internet sports betting for the best part of three years. Eventually, the breakthrough came in April 2021.
- Thanks to a law approved in 2013 and a regulatory structure for brick sportsbooks developed in 2019, in-person sports betting was permitted in New York. It was then that locals could finally get an answer to: is sports betting legal in NY. The answer being yes.
- However, the path to legalizing mobile sports betting in New York has been rocky. The signing of a budget deal by then-governor Andrew Cuomo did contain a framework for bringing mobile sports wagering to the Empire State.
- On April 19, 2021, then-governor Cuomo signed a bill into law that legalized mobile gambling in New York. It also made the New York Gaming Commission responsible for all activities related to mobile gambling in the state.
- Despite missing the initial July 1st target, the New York State Gaming Commission issued an RFA on July 9, 2021. This was to “choose one or more providers to provide mobile sports wagering throughout the state.”
- The release of the RFA on July 1 was necessary because it kicked off the application form for sports betting companies. That soon became highly competitive amongst the many tempted betting operators.
- The NYGC discussed nine internet bookmakers on November 8, 2021, and ultimately approved them for mobile licensing in the state. Those nine companies were chosen after a rigorous rule-based procedure, and on January 8, 2022, the market opened for online betting.