After a process of more than 2½ years in Betting Apps NY becoming legal, residents of the Empire State have had their dream realized this morning.
Just after 9 a.m. ET today, New Yorkers had the first opportunity to place their first mobile sports betting wagers over four mobile sports betting platforms (BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook NY, DraftKings New York and FanDuel New York).
Now the largest legalized online sports betting market in the nation, the state of New York couldn’t have hoped for a better start with Week 18 of the NFL regular season starting today with two games, plus a full slate of NBA and NHL action, the third and fourth rounds of the opening PGA Tour weekend and the NCAA College Football National Championship between Alabama and Georgia on Monday night.
Oh yeah ... the NFL Playoffs begin on Saturday, Jan. 15 and the Buffalo Bills will be representing the state. The Bills, by the way, announced a partnership with FanDuel New York this week.
Here are some of the top promotions for new bettors in New York:
At Caesars Sportsbook New York, new users receive a free bet of $300 and first-deposit match of up to $3,000. And there is also a promo for an NBA jersey.
At DraftKings New York, new bettors can get a 20% welcome match deposit bonus worth up to $1,000.
FanDuel New York is offering a risk-free first bet of $1,000 for new bettors in the state.
Check out some of the other New York sports betting promo codes.
Upstate Presence Key Factor?
All four of the betting platforms that launched this morning have had a retail sportsbook presence in four upstate casinos in the Empire State: Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols (FanDuel), Rivers Casino in Schenectady (BetRivers New York App), Del Lago Casino in Waterloo (DraftKings) and the Oneida Indian Tribe's Turning Stone Resort in Verona (Caesars).
New York bettors still are awaiting five other mobile sports betting platforms to launch, as nine operators were granted licenses on Nov. 8 by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC). The remaining five are BetMGM NY, Bally Bet, WynnBET NY, Resorts World and PointsBet.
All five are continuing to work toward satisfying statutory and regulatory requirements. Once they meet those requirements, the NYGSC will approve them to launch on a rolling basis.
The Survey Says ...
Operators have been salivating at getting into the mobile betting game in New York. That’s because it is the largest state (at 19.4 million population) to begin online wagering.
The three most-populated states in the U.S. (California, Texas and Florida) do not have sports wagering. That isn’t expected to change for some time in California and Texas.
Operators also sense a great deal of enthusiasm among New York bettors. How enthusiastic? Take a look at this survey on EmpireStakes.com.
