Everyone expected the NY Sports Betting Apps market to be huge and bettors in the Empire State probably exceeded expectations.
Nearly 6 million (5.8 million) transactions were recorded in New York on Saturday after the market launched at 9 a.m., according to a social media post late Saturday night by Geocomply’s Lindsay Slader, managing director of gaming. Geocomply is a geolocation security company.
Slader wrote “In just 12 hours, New York has become the top state for sports betting in the US!”
Four mobile sports betting platforms went live in New York on Saturday — Caesars Sportsbook NY, BetRivers New York, DraftKings New York and FanDuel New York.
Here is the data Slader posted about Geocomply’s geolaction transaction volumes (ranked by state from 9 a.m.-9 p.m. ET Saturday):
- New York: 5.8M
- Pennsylvania: 2.3M
- New Jersey: 2.1M
- Michigan: 1.6M
- Illinois: 1.1M
- Arizona: 1.0M
”A launch this size is historically unprecedented, with volumes eclipsing the second closest ranked state, PA by approx. 2.5 times,” Slader wrote in her LinkedIn post Saturday night.
In addition to the clear appetite to place online wagers in New York, the numbers were also helped by the New York sports betting promo codes offered by operators.
With 19.3 million residents, New York is the fourth-largest state by population, but the largest with legal online sports betting. The four operators that launched were given approval from the New York State Gaming Commission on Thursday.
In addition to NFL games today involving New York teams (Jets, Giants and Bills), New York bettors can wager on Monday’s night’s College Football Playoff championship game between Alabama and Georgia.
Caesars Started With Big Promotion
New users at Caesars Sportsbook New York were offered a free bet of $300 and first-deposit match of up to $3,000. The sportsbook has also been running a promotion for an NBA jersey.
The first bet taken in New York by Caesar was a $20 5-leg European Soccer parlay (Barcelona -155; Leverkusen -140; Leipzig -145; Hoffenheim -215; and Dortmund -123), according to the sportsbook. The potential win was $233.16.
But Caesars also had some issues, according to posts on social media that the sportsbook acknowledged and responded to when it had resolved them. According to the timing of the posts by Caesars, service could have been affected for up three hours beginning around 8 p.m.
”We apologize for the service interruption, but the issue has now been resolved. We thank you for your patience,” Caesars posted around 11 p.m.
Caesars also announced a brand ambassador in New York who bettors there are very familiar with — former longtime New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist.
HEN-RIK đź‘Ź https://t.co/ZI6VQ43oes
— Caesars Sportsbook (@CaesarsSports) January 8, 2022
DraftKings Brings Offer, Too
DraftKings New York was off to a flying starting in New York, offering new bettors a 20% welcome match deposit bonus worth up to $1,000.
The first mobile bet on DraftKings taken in New York was a six-team NFL parlay (Kansas City Chiefs -10.5; Philadelphia Eagles +4; Under 44 for Colts-Jaguars; Pittsburgh Steelers Moneyline; Under 37 for Bengals-Browns; and San Francisco 49ers Moneyline).
DraftKings pointed out on Twitter how one of its bettors won big on a free bet:
This is how you use the free bet đź‘Ź https://t.co/SMwUxsXFac
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) January 9, 2022
FanDuel Kicks Off With Promo Offer
FanDuel New York is offering a risk-free first bet of $1,000 for new bettors in New York.
The sportsbook operator said in an email Saturday that the first bet placed in New York on its app was at 9:01 a.m. It was $21 on the Over Total Points (43.5) at -105 for the Cowboys vs. Eagles on Saturday night. It was an easy winner as the Cowboys scored 51 points by themselves in a 51-26 win over the Eagles. The bet paid out $41.
According to FanDuel, four of the top five sporting events for New York bettors by handle on Saturday were from the NFL: Chiefs at Broncos; Cowboys at Eagles; Super Boost 3+ Total Points scored in Eagles at Cowboys game; and Super Boost 3+ Total Points scored in Chiefs at Broncos game, The Miami Heat at Phoenix Suns NBA game was No. 5.
On Thursday, the Buffalo Bills announced a sports betting partnership with FanDuel. The Bills will be the only New York NFL team in the playoffs. Buffalo has a good chance to be the AFC representative in the Super Bowl, likely the biggest betting day of the year.
BetRivers Able to Launch with App
The BetRivers New York App was approved late Friday night for download Saturday. Bettors could still go to the company’s website to place bets.
The first bet in New York at BetRivers was placed online at BetRivers.com. It was a $500 wager on the Broncos v. Chiefs game on Saturday, according to the company. The bettor went with the Broncos to cover at +10.5, which they did in the Chiefs’ 28-24 win for a payout of $965. The bet was placed at 9:09 a.m.
“New York has been an extremely successful market launch for BetRivers'com 's Sportsbook,” Mattias Stetz, chief operating officer of Rush Street Interactive Inc., parent company of BetRivers.com, said in a news release Sunday morning. “New registrations exceeded any other state market launch and continue to be strong as we approach the Sunday NFL games. Eligible sports fans, across the state, have been wagering using the BetRivers iOS (Apple) app in record numbers. The app is currently available to download from the Apple App Store, or bettors can visit BetRivers.com if using Android (Google) and PC devices. New York has exceeded all our expectations on this first day. I guess that's why they call it the 'Big Apple.' "
The five sportsbooks that did not go live Saturday are BetMGM NY, WynnBET NY, PointsBET NY, Resorts World and Bally Bet NY. They are awaiting approval from state gaming commission.
