The big news broke January 6, and by 9 a.m. December 8, New Yorkers were able to get in some mobile bets before the end of the NFL regular season.
The New York Gaming Commission announced last Thursday that four licensed online sportsbooks—Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive—would be able to receive virtual wagers starting Saturday morning. The providers were approved to go live because each had an existing partnership with a New York casino.
Until then, most New Yorkers had two options to bet on sports legally: travel to upstate casinos to play at retail sportsbooks, or cross the river to New Jersey to gamble on their mobile devices.
”Finally I can stop biking over the (George Washington Bridge) on Sundays and take a bet over the phone,” Manhattanite Matt Lane told the New York Post. “I know this will make my girlfriend happy, especially when I win.”
State officials say the addition of mobile bets could bring in up to $500 million in annual tax revenues.
Democratic state Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., the most vocal advocate for mobile bets in the Empire State and chairman of the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, called the development “great news for New York in terms of revenue, new funding for education, addiction programs and youth sports, as well as new jobs.
“This is great timing,” the Queens Democrat said. “It’s a win for the state of New York.”
“It’s definitely good timing,” agreed Assembly Gaming and Wagering Committee Chairman Gary Pretlow. “We said we wanted mobile sports betting to start before the Super Bowl. We’re ahead of schedule.”
New York expects to generate $10 billion from sports betting each year, with the nearly $1 billion in expected profits split between the state and the operators. The state has already banked $200 million in license fees from mobile sports operators, which have agreed to pay a 51 percent tax on gross revenues—far more than in other states.
Though they likely won’t pull in a fortune, the prestige of operating in New York has operators eagerly tout their services. “We are excited to finally be able to offer millions of passionate New York sports fans the top-rated DraftKings mobile and online sportsbook,” said Jason Robins, CEO, co-founder and chairman of the board of DraftKings.
Richard Schwartz, CEO of Rush Street Interactive, said, “The long-awaited launch of online and mobile sports betting in New York—the largest online sports betting market by population in the United States—is here, and just in time. With the college football championship game on January 10th and NFL playoffs approaching, and the NBA and NHL seasons in full swing, in addition to countless other sports and betting options available for play, fans have endless entertainment at their fingertips at BetRivers.”
New York has offered in-person sports betting since 2019 but has generated just $3.7 million in tax revenue at its four in-person sportsbooks, all upstate of New York City, reported the New York Daily News. Meanwhile, its neighbor New Jersey has become the top sports betting market in the U.S.
Through November 2021, the Garden State’s nine casinos and the three horse tracks that take sports bets have reaped nearly $10 billion in wagers, including mobile bets. New York mobile betting is sure to challenge that supremacy, and keep more of those dollars at home.
Caesars will include the New York sports betting bets with its Caesars Rewards program.
“Today is a historic day for not only Caesars Sportsbook, but for the entire state of New York,” said Chris Holdren, co-president of Caesars Digital. “We’re ready to treat sports fans across the state of New York like royalty through our Caesars Sportsbook app as we welcome them into the Caesars Empire, extend our already established roots and continue to build partnerships that benefit our bettors.”
In addition, Caesars announced the signing of former New York Rangers legendary goaltender Henrik Lundqvist as an ambassador to New York. With the official launch of mobile sports betting statewide, the Rangers franchise icon joins Caesars Sportsbook at an exciting time for the Empire State, which he called home for his illustrious 15-year NHL career.
“New York has always been a special place to me and it’s such an exciting time for this state,” said Lundqvist. “Becoming a part of the Caesars Sportsbook team going forward is an exciting opportunity as I enter into my next chapter. Caesars really does treat people like royalty and I can’t wait to interact directly with the incredible sports fans in New York on behalf of this partnership.”
Lundqvist will support Caesars Sportsbook in its mission to treat sports fans across New York like a Caesar through a wide array of fan engagement opportunities made possible through Caesars Rewards. Not only will sports bettors in the Empire State earn Tier Credits and Reward Credits with every wager placed on the app, but they will have the chance to personally interact with Lundqvist in various ways through upcoming activations.
