Mobile sports betting has been wildly successful in the Empire State, and now the more lucrative online casino discussion is underway, but the odds of it passing during this session are long.
Virtual Slots & Table Games
PASPA was overturned by the US Supreme Court in 2018, which paved the way for states to determine for themselves whether to legalize mobile and/or retail sports wagering. The federal government would no longer have province over the sports betting industry, and over a relatively short time we now see 39 of the 50 states have legalized sports betting.
Addabbo’s Push for iGaming
New York has been the nation’s unequivocal leader in terms of handle and revenue while the state’s tax coffers have swelled due to its highest-in-the-nation tax rate of 51%. Last year, New York’s nine sportsbooks combined for $2 billion in revenues, which meant the Empire State reaped more than $1 billion in 2024 from sports betting.
And the man who was the driving force behind New York’s sports betting industry, Senator Joe Addabbo, is back beating the legislative pavement for an even more lucrative form of mobile gaming, online casino gambling. Addabbo is also the State Senate Gaming Committee Chair, and he filed a similar bill in 2023 but to no avail.
Addabbo’s new iGaming iteration is Senate Bill S8185A, which would legalize mobile casino gambling and online lottery sales but would also prohibit unregulated slot and social casinos from seeking licensure for at least three years. The bill calls for a 33.5% tax rate on gross gaming revenue.
“By addressing the Sweepstakes Casinos issue and allowing a regulated iGaming casino option, we are demonstrating our commitment to protecting New Yorkers, dealing with gaming addiction, while adding tax revenue beneficial to all state residents,” Addabbo wrote in a statement released ahead of the filing of the bill.
Future Prospects
With three coveted downstate casino licenses expected to be awarded by the end of the year, it is doubtful online casino gambling will gather enough traction to cross the legislative finish line this time around. Nevertheless, industry pundits suggest iGaming in New York is not something that may happen; it is only a question of when.
New York’s Minimum Age to Gamble in Slot Rooms May Rise
There are more than 17,600 video lottery terminals (VLTs) across nine racinos and off-track betting facilities across the state. VLTs are virtually identical to traditional slot machines, and the minimum age to gamble in those facilities is 18, but that could change if a certain lawmaker has his way.
The same Senator Joe Addabbo who sponsored the iGaming bill has also introduced Senate Bill 2610, which would raise the minimum age from 18 to 21 in all VLT facilities. Those facilities include the Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Resorts World New York City, Saratoga Casino Hotel, Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, Resorts World Hudson Valley, Hamburg Gaming at the Fairgrounds, Vernon Downs Casino Hotel, Batavia Downs Gaming, and Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino.
However, full casino licenses that include traditional slots and casino table games, currently found at New York’s four upstate commercial casinos and ultimately the three downstate casinos that have yet to be built, stipulate a minimum age of 21 to gamble in those establishments. Addabbo would like uniformity in all retail gambling establishments.
