Last week, another significant step towards mobile sports wagering apps going live in New York took place. Regulations enacted by the state’s Gaming Commission earlier this month were published in the state Register on Wednesday.
The Register is a weekly publication generated by the Department of State that publishes newly approved regulations. The laws become effective once they have been published.
Although that is a crucial milestone toward getting apps operational, many other boxes still require to be checked before users can download them and start placing bets.
On Wednesday, state Senator Joseph Addabbo, D-Queens, issued a statement congratulating the Gaming Commission for being ahead of schedule on the process.
“As we complete each important step towards offering our residents premier mobile sports betting product in New York, we must focus on getting the servers negotiated so that they are up and running at the approved casinos in order to take the first New York sports bets for some time in January,”
said Addabbo, chairman of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering.
New York State regulation requires the four commercially licensed casinos to host the servers for the eight platform providers. Each casino will receive $5 million for hosting the servers. The providers will be responsible for other administrative expenses associated with them.
The Gaming Commission earlier this month issued permits to eight platform providers. They include Caesars Sportsbook, Kambi, FanDuel, DraftKings, PointsBets, Bally Bet, Wynn Interactive, and BetMGM. The nine sports wagering operators are Rush Street Interactive, Wynn, Resorts World, Caesars, PointsBets, FanDuel, Bally Bet, DraftKings, and BetMGM.
NYRA wants an E-wallet for racing and sports wagering
The Gaming Commission received seven comments after it published the first draft of the laws.
Among the comments was a New York Racing Association (NYRA) question, which runs the state’s three most prominent thoroughbred racetracks. NYRA is interested in providing its advance deposit wagering (ADW) platform in partnership with sports wagering operators. In doing so, it would provide a single electronic wallet, which could get payouts from either a mobile sports betting application or the NYRA Bets ADW.
In reply to the comment, the Gaming Commission stated any single wallet would require to abide by articles 10 and 13 of the state’s racing law.
NYRA Bets became BEtMGM’s first horse racing partner six months ago. BetMGM uses the NYRA platform for its online racing betting app.
Besides seeking a single e-wallet, NYRA also backs a bill Addabbo filed with the New York Assembly this month. That legislation would allow the state’s arenas and racetracks to partner with sports wagering operators and provide kiosks at their destinations.
Gaming Commission answers casino RFI questions
The Gaming Commission also posted its feedback to questions interested groups have submitted regarding the commission’s Request for Information solicitation for the three downstate casino permits.
The commission stated it would publish information on the scope and size of the casino resorts, the value of the gaming permits, and its recommendations for an assessment process for issuing licenses for legislators.
Both Addabbo and his Assembly peer, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, favor speeding up the process to give at least two of the three downstate casino permits before the 2023-time frame that the constitutional amendment voters enacted eight years ago.
Addabbo and Pretlow have backed proposals to allow the VLT casinos at Resorts World Aqueduct and Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway to become full-fledged casinos. As VLT casinos, Empire City and Resorts World cannot offer live table games.
In the Q-and-A document, the Gaming Commission wouldn’t commit to permitting a VLT operator to immediately house table games, nor would it commit to a timeline for a transition period.
“Terms of a commercial casino license will be considered at the time of a license award,”
the commission stated.
Last Updated on by Ryan