New York is unlikely to get online sports wagering sometime soon. On-going concern about it requiring a change in the state’s constitution is the cause of this. Current talk is that such a change could take years
The Big Apple’s sports punters and would-be bettors, however, may be given an exciting alternative.
Hand-to-hand Sports betting at Casinos needs no constitutional change. It could still be given the go-ahead before the end of the month.
And Senator Joseph Addabbo on Thursday filed an amendment to his sports betting bill currently under debate. It calls for in-house betting to be allowed at sports stadiums and arenas located in counties with no Casinos.
Currently, New Yorkers are making betting forays into New Jersey where it is legal to wager on smartphone apps. So much so, New York legislators believe the state is losing millions of dollars in tax revenue to NJ.
Addabbo hopes to stem the tide
Addabbo hopes to stem the tide. If his amendment gets the green light, these punters will now be able to make wagers at betting stations closer to home. They will be able to wager at county-wide, self-service betting kiosks at sports venues affiliated to Casinos with sports betting licenses.
Traditionally horse-racing courses have been regarded as the sports betting affiliates of Casinos. Addabbo and his backers want other sports venues to also be deemed affiliates to make sports betting more convenient to NY residents.
In this context, Yankee Stadium in Bronx County comes to mind. So too does Madison Square Garden in NY County and Barclay Centre in Kings County.
There are no affiliate horse race tracks or Casinos in any of these counties.
On the other hand, Citi Field, home of the Mets, and the Buffalo Bills’ New Era Field might not qualify. They do have horse racing tracks in their counties.
The Addabbo amendment was most likely influenced by legislation recently passed in Illinois and the District of Columbia. In each case, professional sports facilities such as Wrigley Field, the United Center, and Soldier Field have been given the right to operate legal sportsbooks.
