- New York sports betting bill NY S 17 would legalize mobile sports betting by housing servers in the state’s four approved upstate casinos.
- Governor Cuomo has previously expressed that mobile sports wagering in New York would need to be approved via voter referendum.
- The bill is currently sitting in the Senate Finance Committee.
ALBANY, N.Y. - With only two weeks left in the state’s legislative session, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo gave hope for mobile sports betting supporters. Earlier this week, in an interview with WAMC radio host Alan Chartock, Cuomo spoke in regards to a bill passing this year.
“It’s possible,” Cuomo said. “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.”
The changed stance comes after months of constitutional concerns from the governor’s office and after mobile sports betting was left off of the state’s budget.
“That’s a light at the other end of the tunnel and there doesn’t seem to be an oncoming train anymore”, said Assemblyman Gary Pretlow.
The best chance for a mobile sports betting bill to pass now will have to come through NY S 17. The Senate bill is sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo. The contents of the bill are the same as NY A 6113 which is sponsored by Assemblyman Gary Pretlow.
The bill would allow for mobile sports betting in New York to be available statewide by leveraging the four upstate casinos that were previously approved by voters for retail on sportsbooks in the USA.
The servers that are used for mobile sports wagering apps would be housed inside the casinos. This is similar to how mobile betting works at New York Association horse racing tracks. Mobile bettors would first need to go to the casinos to register in person before they can bet on sports in NY remotely.
NY S 17 passed through the New York Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee by a unanimous vote on May 13, 2019. The bill has been sitting in the Senate Finance Committee since then.
Although, even with the governor’s most recent comments, representatives from his office have insisted on the views they’ve had on the subject all year.
“Our position on constitutional concerns has not changed,” said Rich Azzopardi. “But, we remain in discussions with the Legislature.”