Is Sports Betting Legal In New York?
If you are unsure if sports betting is legal in New York, just know that bettors will no longer have to venture into New Jersey to place a legal wager. Instead, New Yorkers are granted with many opportunities both land-based and online that they can use to put their money down on any New York team (or any other team for that matter). This is all possible from a combination of two laws – one on the state level and one on the federal level. They worked in unison, as one of them was repealed making the other one step up to the plate.
PASPA was the federal law that was repealed. When this happened, each state was granted the power to regulate its own sports betting industry. In New York’s case, they already had a measure in place, which came into fruition upon the overturning of PASPA. On this page, we will go over how these laws affect legal sports betting in New York and will also provide the locations for wh ere to have some fun.
Land-Based Sports Betting in New York:
Without PASPA in effect, the 2013 measure came into law which granted the four upstate commercial casinos the ability to have sportsbooks. Though the regulations were not yet set, the state worked towards creating an industry that was approved by all. If you want to read the regulations, you can find them here.
We should point out that the four upstate casinos – Resorts World Catskills, del Lago, Tioga Downs, and Rivers Casino – are not the only locations for land-based sports betting in New York. Any tribal, or Native American, casino that wants to offer a sportsbook also has the ability to. This is because, according to state law, the commercial casinos cannot offer a casino-style game that is not also allowed at the tribal casinos. With this, there are plenty of options to get betting.
Legal Online Sports Betting in New York:
Online sports betting is in a different field, however. The state has written online sports betting revenue into their 2022 FY budget, which almost guarantees that state-regulated online sportsbooks are on their way. However, a legislative bill still needs to pass in order for rules concerning NY online sportsbooks to be set in stone. This still hasn’t happened. Instead, bettors can fall back on the fact knowing that offshore betting sites exist and accept New York bettors. BetOnline is a popular online sportsbook and it has spent the majority of its existence being just that.
At the current moment, this restriction no longer exists and New Yorkers can access BetOnline and many other sites like it to bet on the Knicks, Nets, Yankees, or any other one of the double-digit professional sports teams. With these sites, you are also granted the ability to wager on collegiate sporting events, prop bets, and basically anything you could think of from politics to entertainment. Often, you will have odds that are more luxurious than you would at an in-state or even New Jersey sportsbook.
Top New York Sports Betting Sites
What's The Bottom Line? Will I Get In Trouble For Betting On Sports?
According to the law books, the only way you get in trouble for sports betting in New York will happen if you are the one accepting a wager, as an unlicensed operator. Additionally, if you are caught gambling through an unregulated or unlicensed in-state sports betting network, you can find yourself in hot water too.
However, as New York online sportsbooks has said on this page, you have many options that are safe, reliable, and best of all legal. Whether you use the tribal or commercial casinos or continue to stick with your offshore betting sites, you can do so without the NYPD breathing down your neck. Just remember, the betting site needs to be located outside of the country and it should have a regulatory body overseeing their operations in order for you to be safe in a legal manner as well as a security measure.