New York lawmakers passed mobile sports betting legislation back in April, but couldn’t get it up and running in time for the start of NFL season on September 9. Until then, fans will have to go to the nearest sportsbook to bet the NFL, or maybe cross into Jersey to place mobile wagers.
Meanwhile, regulators are looking at bids from six potential providers and hope to launch the new industry by Super Bowl Sunday, next February 13.
“I still remain optimistic that if not by the end of the year, by the beginning of next year, that we have our operators and providers and we’re taking our first bets—and certainly by the Super Bowl,” said Senate Racing Committee chairman Joseph Addabbo, D-Queens.
Currently, sports betting in the state is confined to four onsite sportsbooks at casinos in the Catskills, the Finger Lakes area, the Southern Tier and near Albany. All the major operators are vying for licensure in the state, with the winning bids to be announced in early December.
“The state legislature established a timeframe for the competitive bidding process of licenses for mobile sports wagering, requiring selection — to the extent practicable—no later than 150 days after receipt of applications,” Gaming Commission spokesman Brad Maione said. “The commission fully anticipates being within the deadline established by law.”
According to MSN, mobile sports betting stalled for years in the state legislature and was opposed for much of that time by ousted Governor Andrew Cuomo, who said it might violated the state constitution.
The Covid-19 pandemic hastened the bill’s passage, with Cuomo’s office estimating it could bring in $500 million a year by the time mobile sports betting is fully operational. Operators would have among the highest taxes in the nation, at about 50 percent, but New York represents the largest untapped mobile sports betting market in the U.S.
