New York sports betting to reach stadiums

Amendments to get New York sports betting live in sporting arenas in the state may soon pass.

US.- Sports betting is set to expand in New York through legislative amendments. The rules modifications will get the segment going live in the state’s sporting arenas, expanding its reach.

Authors Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblymember Gary Pretlow were the ones that pushed the amendments. Their bills (S17 & A6113, respectively) were amended and would get New York sports betting expanding.

Off-track betting (OTB) locations and New York Racing Association (NYRA) venues may launch kiosks to offer mobile wagering. That way, they’d launch the segment next to the upstate’s casinos.

Furthermore, they expand the definition of affiliates to include sports arenas.

Amendments set a 12 month waiting period between the mentioned venues’ launch and the video lottery terminals and racinos’ as well.

The mobile betting push

New York hasn’t given up on the possibility to offer mobile sports betting. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said that state legislators could approve a measure before the current session ends on June 19.

“It’s possible,” Cuomo told WAMC radio. “I think the time is short and the list is long, so I would counsel the legislative leaders to get the priorities done because these priorities are not easy,” he said.

Cuomo recently said that mobile sports betting would need a change to the state’s Constitution, which a year-long process. Nevertheless, lawmakers don’t give up as they know that New Yorkers currently cross the Hudson to place bets in New Jersey. This costs New York millions in tax revenue.

“The last conversation I had with… the governor’s office was last week, and we were still not on the same page,” said state Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Queens), a sponsor of the mobile sports betting bill and chairman of the Senate Gaming and Wagering Committee.