By Emilie Munson | Times Union, Albany
Albany, N.Y. — The state inspector general’s office has seen a surge in complaints filed against New York’s Gaming Commission and the gambling entities it regulates since the office took over the handling of the commission’s internal investigations about two years ago.
Data indicates the inspector general’s office received more complaints since September about the oversight of New York’s multi-billion dollar gambling industry — which has recently expanded — than nearly every other sector of state government. Some of the complaints target the commission’s activities, while many have been leveled at the organizations it regulates.
The spike in complaints involving the state Gaming Commission corresponds with a decision by the Legislature and governor to change how the allegations are investigated, according to Inspector General Lucy Lang. Previously, an inspector general within the commission had handled the internal investigations and kept most of those matters hidden from the public.
The change took place in June 2021, when the Gaming Commission’s inspector general was removed from that office and merged with the state inspector general’s office, an independent watchdog tasked with identifying waste, fraud and corruption in state government. That idea was proposed by the administration of former Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and supported by the commission.
The Gaming Commission oversees the Lottery, casinos, slot machines, horse racing, sports wagering and interactive fantasy sports. The increase in complaints came after the state launched mobile sports wagering less than two years ago and as more casinos are slated to open across New York. (Thoroughbred horse racing is now regulated by a federal authority.)
A majority of the new complaints detail “traditional commission regulatory matters such as vendor customer service disputes, rather than issues of problematic behavior within the commission,” according to a…
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