Online sports betting in New York has been live since January 8, 2022, when the New York State Gaming Commission licensed the first mobile operators. Bettors in the state can now choose from nine sportsbook apps, and wagering is legal for anyone over the age of 21 who is physically inside New York at the time of the bet. The market launched after the U.S. Supreme Court lifted the federal ban on sports betting, which allowed New York to open its first retail locations in July 2019. Mobile betting was legalized in April 2021 under Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law 1367-a, and the first app went live the following January under the oversight of the state Gaming Commission.
For new customers, the nine licensed apps compete with signup promotions that generally fall into three categories: bonus bets, bet-and-get offers, and deposit matches. A bet-and-get deal unlocks a set amount of bonus credits after a small initial wager, such as betting five dollars to receive fifty dollars in bonus funds. Deposit matches add promo funds equal to a percentage of the first deposit, or in some cases the full amount. Those bonus credits work like cash inside the app for placing bets, but they cannot be withdrawn directly and expire if they are not used within a specified timeframe. Bettors weighing which app to use are advised to compare welcome offers, odds, ease of search and use, and how quickly each sportsbook pays out.
New York is among the most diverse states in the country for professional sports teams, which gives the betting market a deep pool of events to draw on. In the NBA, the New York Knicks and the Brooklyn Nets are both based in the city. The NFL has two teams with New York in their names, the Jets and the Giants, though both technically play in New Jersey. The Buffalo Bills are the only NFL team with a stadium inside New York State. In baseball, the Yankees are among the most storied franchises in sports history, and the Mets also play in New York. Hockey fans have two local teams as well, with the Rangers and the Islanders representing the major market.
College sports can be bet on legally in New York, but the state imposes strict limits. Bettors cannot wager on a college team from New York, so a game involving Syracuse is off limits to anyone betting inside the state. They also cannot bet on any college sporting event that takes place in New York, meaning even a neutral-site matchup such as Duke against Illinois at Madison Square Garden is unavailable. In addition, no college player prop bets are allowed. Those restrictions set New York apart from states with more permissive college betting rules.
Retail sports betting remains available at multiple locations, most of them at casinos in upstate New York and at tribal properties. Licensed venues include del Lago Resort & Casino in Waterloo, which houses a DraftKings Sportsbook; Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, with Sportsbook 360; Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, with Rivers Sportsbook; Tioga Downs Casino Resort in Nichols, with a FanDuel Sportsbook; and Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, Yellow Brick Road Casino in Chittenango, and Point Place Casino in Bridgeport, all with Caesars Sportsbook. The Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls, Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca, and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in Buffalo each operate The Sports Lounge. Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort in Hogansburg offers Sticks Sports Book & Grill.
Residency is not a requirement to bet in New York. A bettor does not need to live in the state, only to be physically located within its boundaries when placing a wager through a registered account. With nine legal sportsbooks available, customers can use as many apps as they like and are free to try them all before settling on the one that best fits their preferences.