The day has come, New York.
The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) announced Thursday that four licensed mobile sports wagering operators have met and satisfied all statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to accept and process mobile sports wagering activity, start New York sports betting apps and have been approved to commence operations with launch effective no earlier than Saturday, Jan. 8 at 9 a.m. ET.
These 4 Operators Get OK
Those four operators are: Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings NY FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive (parent company of BetRivers.)
“The NYSGC today gave an opportunity and authority for those four operators to start. If they are able and ready to accept bets, they are looking to take customers immediately. It’s a great credit to the gaming commission for getting this done and in a time even prior to the NFL Playoffs starting next week to work out any glitches, issues, etc.,” state Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr., chairman of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, said in a phone call early Thursday afternoon.
After that effective date, each of those four licensees will determine when to accept wagers, based upon their readiness and business capabilities.
The remaining five conditionally licensed mobile sports wagering operators (BetMGM NY, Bally Bet, WynnBET NY, Resorts World and PointsBet) are continuing to work towards satisfying statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to launch and will be approved on a rolling basis when requirements are met.
Breakdown of 4 Operators Given Go-Ahead
Caesars Sportsbook New York operates the largest number of retail sportsbooks across the country. It can be found in 20 states, including 14 that already have mobile betting.
”From Buffalo to the Bronx, New York is a special place and we’re grateful for the chance to show the Empire State what it’s like to be a part of the Caesars Empire," said Chris Holdren, co-president of Caesars Digital. "We know many New Yorkers have already played with us at one of our more than 50 destinations across the country, and Caesars Sportsbook will put the thrill of sports betting into the palm of their hands as the only app in the market that will reward them with every bet they place through our Caesars Rewards program.”
DraftKings enters its largest market to date since launching in 2012.
The Empire State joins the vast DraftKings live mobile and/or retail betting operations already in place in Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. DraftKings is one of four sports betting companies to also operate a retail sportsbook in upstate New York at Del Lago Casino & Resort in Waterloo.
"Growing up in New York and having spent the last 30-plus years in Las Vegas, I am thrilled that my worlds are finally set to collide,” said Johnny Avello, a native of Poughkeepsie and the director of race and sportsbook operations at DraftKings. “Millions of New Yorkers will soon discover what we believe makes our DraftKings Sportsbook the very best in customer service and real-money gaming and entertainment.”
With a recent announcement of its presence at Live! Casino and Hotel in Hanover, Md., FanDuel New York now has live retail sportsbooks in 11 states. FanDuel also operates a retail sportsbook in upstate New York at Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols. Both Tioga Downs and The Meadowlands in New Jersey are owned and operated by Jeff Gural.
"We are delighted the FanDuel Sportsbook has received approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to be live on Saturday bringing the excitement of America’s No. 1 sportsbook to the passionate fans of New York,” a statement from FanDuel said.
BetRivers NY launched in 2018 and New York will be the 12th state it is eligible to operate in via mobile. RSI, which also operates PlaySugarHouse.com, is currently live with real money online casinos in 12 states: Pennsylvania, Illinois, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Michigan, Indiana, Virginia, Colorado, Iowa, West Virginia and Arizona.
Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI, 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 Jan. 10 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.”
Ball Has Crossed Goal
“The ball has finally crossed the goal line,” Addabbo said. “This has been two years of effort and a dedicated team to getting this going. However, the work just begins because now you can evaluate and move ahead to bigger events like March Madness and the potential for New York to really do well here in all aspects is all beneficial to people in this state.”
You can read more from Addabbo and his vision for New York Sports Betting in this EmpireStakes.com story.
