Will New York Be the Next US State To Legalise Online Gambling?

The online casino industry continues to flourish, expanding ever so slowly into new regions and across the United States, potentially including New York. 

2024 is off to an amazing start with brand partnerships, amazing new game releases and new casinos hitting the market. What’s even more exciting is the legalisation of gaming in various regions, but will NY be next?

New Gambling Bill for New York

New York has been trying to legalise online gambling for years, but up until now, it has been unsuccessful. 

Senator Joseph Addabbo has proposed a bill to legalise online casinos in New York. Currently, several states in the US have legal online casino action available, including New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. 

Interestingly, New York hasn’t decided to legalise online casinos yet, considering the massive revenue from mobile sports betting. The mobile sports betting industry hit the $2 billion mark for three marks in a row, making NY the first state to do so in October 2023. 

The new online casino bill states that New York could receive around $1 billion yearly in state tax revenue based on conservative market estimates. They can also expect around $150 million in license fees from all casinos, operators and contractors eager to enter the online gaming market within the state. 

It should be taken into consideration that online casino gaming has a much higher margin than sports betting. Addabbo pushes for online casino gaming legalisation with the mobile sports betting market’s success as its motivator. Another big motivator is New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s online gaming industry’s massive success, bringing in a combined online casino revenue of over $3.5 billion. 

Current New York Gambling Laws

New York hasn’t had the best of luck in terms of legalising online casino gameplay. It’s not that all forms of gambling are prohibited, but more like there’s an invisible wall blocking online casinos. 

Gambling is permitted across several verticals, including online sports betting, one of the newer additions. A state-run lottery and some charity-based lotto and bingo game options exist. 

With the new bill, the aim is to legalise online gambling and open the market to all interested parties, which would include eligible New York land-based casinos. The platforms will be required to pay fees of $2 million to secure a license. For the online lottery section, the bill proposes allowing participants to participate in joint, multi-jurisdiction and out-of-state lotteries via desktop or mobile. 

Now we wait to see if the current advised online gambling bill will be the one to unlock the world of online gaming for New Yorkers. 

New York Gambling FAQs