Sports betting to launch in New York

Lawmakers finally legalised sports betting in New York and the segment will launch in upstate casinos.

US.- Some hurdles still blocked the launch of sports betting in New York but have finally been cleared. Lawmakers voted on Monday to legalise the segment, which will launch in upstate casinos.

New regulations don’t include online sports wagering, as Gov. Andrew Cuomo believes it would need a constitutional amendment.

The rules will be enforced by the gaming commission and allow sports wagering in New York’s four commercial casinos. Furthermore, it includes the seven Indian-owned casinos and future licensed venues.

Casinos would first need approval for the types of bets they want to offer. Only pro-sports wagers are allowed completely, as collegiate teams based in New York were excluded.

Sports betting liberalisation

In May 2018, the US Supreme Court ruled that states are free to legalise sports betting, as it said that the federal law that was in place was unconstitutionally forcing states to maintain their prohibitions. The gambling and sports industry got the green light to set regulations to find common ground on what is set to become a billionaire industry.

The high court ruled that Congress overstepped its authority in 1992 by prohibiting states that didn’t already allow sports betting from entering the business. The vote ended 7-2 in favour of overruling PASPA, the sports protection act that was passed 26 years ago.