A senator from New York is fidgeting on the matter of legalized sports betting in his jurisdiction. Following the wave of sports regulation that is sweeping over many states in the US, Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. is just not convinced that the delay in NY is necessary. He is particularly frustrated because he does not understand why NY is lagging behind the other states in implementing a Supreme Court ruling that allowed states in the US to offer licenses for sports betting.
The SC gave American states the go-ahead to regulate mobile sports betting in 2018 but that remains merely a fact on paper for New York punters. Perhaps this is one of the issues that Addabbo was looking forward to speaking about as a panelist in Chicago at the National Council of Legislative Gaming States (NCLGS) conference.
Coincidentally, the invitation to be part of the panel came at a time when gambling partners of NY were still celebrating the release of regulations that will govern the mobile sports betting sector. While it does appear that New York law enforcers were finally doing something to honor the Supreme Court ruling, the frustration of people like Addabbo is not to be taken lightly; the long queues at FanDuel sportsbook should be a thing of the past.
The greatest source of relief for Addabbo and other like-minded New York residents, is that the Super Bowl will be available for them to bet on through their mobile phones come February. Despite the good news, Addabbo is concerned that it has taken such a long time for the people of his state to enjoy this privilege. Speaking to the audience at the NCLGS conference, the NY senator expressed his frustration at not implementing thru ling sooner.
New York is generally perceived as a forward moving community so the idea of following the pack is a bit too foreign to grasp. For the first time though, it does appear that the people of New York will be going against their tradition of leading from the front.
One of their neighbors, Connecticut, is also late in following up on the go-ahead issued for sports betting operators 3 years ago. Like NY, the coming year will bring great tidings for gambling enthusiasts living in Connecticut. The same was also anticipated to take place in Pennsylvania but they went ahead and implemented it.
It makes sense why Addabbo would get really worked up; the lost time that the state of New York would have been minting revenue from mobile sports gambling but they did not. Looking at the success of New Jersey where the law was taken seriously from the start, it is no wonder people like Addabbo are looking at the lost revenue due to uncollected revenue for the 3 years or so.
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Money washed down the drain
New Jersey has been in the news a lot because of the gambling industry boom there. For many states around the United States, the performance of the Garden State is proof that gambling is indeed an industry that can revolutionize an entire jurisdiction. For Addabbo, a look at the performance of NJ over the years that it has been in supporting the gambling industry gets him so upset.
True to his expressions, Addabbo is often eager to recount an incident that took place in 2019 but which in his own words, ‘helped him to express his disappointment at his state government for delaying to adopt gambling laws.’ He was headed to Manhattan for a sports betting seminar for which he had nothing to use as an opening statement.
Having noticed a sign written, “Lincoln Tunnel/New Jersey,” he automatically got an idea of what to say when it was his turn to speak. In short, his opening remark painted a picture of how far bettors living in New York had to travel to be able to place legal bets on sports.
The success of New Jersey as a gambling destination has been the inspiration behind the production of various surveys to establish just how much the state was making from this industry. Aside from Las Vegas that tops the charts for highest revenue collected from traditional walk-in casino models, there is New Jersey that is currently in the lead as far as online betting revenue is concerned.
Better late than never
The long wait for the gamblers of New York is finally over – at the start of the year 2022, betting in NY will be right in the hands of the people through their smartphones. It could have been as early as the start of the year but the online gambling commission of NY failed to honor a deadline given for July 1 that would have collected applications from operators that intended to run business in the state.
Addabbo has revealed that the last application submission was received a week after the deadline had lapsed. If the commission steps up to the task, NY still has time to achieve the benchmarks as planned. Towards the end of the year, the commission should have already handpicked at least two platform based and 4 mobile based sports betting services providers. Those who did not hand in their applications and are interested in being considered should do so by the start of August.
Conclusion
The past is where it should be –behind us, and that is why Addabbo is grateful to the governor of New York for giving mobile sports betting a chance in 2021 instead of focusing on the fact that he was reluctant to do so in 2019. For those who are concerned about the high taxation that will befall the gambling business community of NY, the senator urges them to instead pay attention to the market and its potential. Addabbo has reported some effort from the commission albeit it could be too early to make concrete conclusions on the matter. He is happy that the Online Gaming Commission of NY has made room for multiple sports betting partners that are likely to be attracted to NY business.
