Photo by sebastiaan stam on Unsplash
New Yorkers used to have to cross the state boundary to indulge in an online bet on the horses or to back their team with a sports bet. However, for over a year, online betting has been legal here, and the gambling lobby hopes that all forms of betting may be legalised at some point in the future. Moreover, there are precedents for successful regulated markets in neighbouring New Jersey and Canada. So, what lessons can be learned from markets that have already opened their gambling markets?
The USA has had a contradictory relationship with gambling over the years. On the one hand, it was home to the self-proclaimed gambling capital of the world – Las Vegas. On the other, throughout much of the country, there was a total prohibition on gambling and wagering. That is not to say it did not happen; it was all underground and behind closed doors. New Jersey had Atlantic City, which attracted New Yorkers and people from the Northern Seaboard to its casinos and attractions.
However, wagering on sports was banned under the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. The ban was overturned in 2018 when it was deemed unconstitutional as it contravened a state’s right to self-determination. New York passed an act in 2013 to make sports betting legal, and a regulatory framework was put in place in 2019 for bricks and mortar sportsbooks. However, mobile sports betting took a little longer to arrive.
In 2019, the then Governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed a budget agreement that included a framework that would allow New Yorkers to enjoy mobile gaming from home. The legislation made the New York Gaming Commission responsible for mobile betting operations. A request for applications for providers to offer mobile sports wagering was issued, and nine operators were granted licences. The market officially opened for live wagering on January 8th, 2022. However, online casino games and slots are not legally available to New…
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