New York’s next bet should be mobile casino games
In 2021, as the pandemic raged through New York, the economic future of our state was uncertain. Along with our colleagues in the Legislature, we knew cutting funding to programming and education was not an option, so we had to get creative. We had been longtime advocates for the legalization of mobile sports betting, and we believed it would be an economic boon for New York at a time when we desperately needed it.
In its first year, mobile sports betting brought in nearly $1 billion in tax revenue — more
▶ State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. and Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow chair the committees on Racing, Gaming and Wagering for the state Senate and Assembly, respectively. than any other state – almost all of which has been earmarked for education aid and sports programs for underserved kids. Not to mention, by legalizing the industry, we were able to enhance addiction support and services to help combat problem gaming.
By all accounts, mobile sports betting in New York has been a success. But we can build upon that success and bring in an additional $1 billion in revenue for our state, effectively doubling the revenue we get from mobile sports betting and provide even more support to those suffering from addiction. And we recently introduced legislation to do just that.
Our bill authorizes igaming & ilottery using the same framework in place for mobile sports betting, allowing consumers to safely play in a legal and regulated market and generating a projected $1 billion annually for New York, above and beyond what the state already receives from mobile sports betting.
We would hardly be the first state to legalize igaming or ilottery. Neighboring states, including New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania, offer igaming, and Illinois, Michigan and New Hampshire are among the states that offer ilottery. And that’s not to mention the thousands of New Yorkers who are already using unsafe and illegal gambling sites to place bets online.
Legalizing igaming and ilottery is also better for consumers. As with mobile sports betting, a legal mobile gaming market allows us to prohibit underage players from accessing gaming platforms and provide resources and support for problem gaming — something the illegal market will never do.
We cannot continue to allow hundreds of millions of dollars to be funneled into neighboring states or into the pockets of disreputable companies — particularly when those funds could be used to further bolster funding for public schools.
Now is the time for New York to invest in opportunities that will allow for big economic growth down the road, something we can hardly turn away from as the state is just beginning to get its head above water financially. That is why we strongly encourage our colleagues and Gov. Kathy Hochul to include the comprehensive gaming package we have introduced in this year’s budget.