Hopes that New York would soon become the next American jurisdiction to legalize state-wide sports betting were reportedly crushed on Wednesday after its lawmakers failed to pass an updated sports wagering legislation. According to a Thursday report from The Post-Standard newspaper, the letdown means that the New York State Gaming Commission will now be forced to rely on a 2013 law if it wants to permit sports betting, but this legislation purportedly contains a number of flaws that could lead to punters ignoring ‘The Empire State’ in favour of placing their bets in neighbouring New Jersey.
Last month saw the United States Supreme Court invalidate the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), which had largely limited sports wagering to Nevada, while the states of New Jersey and Delaware soon took advantage by ratifying legislation of their own that legalized state-wide sports betting services. Hopes had been high that New York would soon follow suit in an effort to raise much needed tax revenues to help offset a projected $4.4 billion budget deficit. The Post-Standard reported that the five-year-old Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act stipulates that sports betting may only be offered inside the eastern state’s four new integrated casino resorts, which encompass the Resorts World Catskills, Tioga Downs Casino Resort, Del Lago Resort Casino and Rivers Casino Resort Schenectady properties, while also prohibiting wagers on any collegiate event taking place in the New York.
In addition, the 2013 law reportedly only allows punters to place outcome and in-play wagers in person without mentioning online sports betting while moreover ignoring the issue of sports wagering at aboriginal-run venues such as the Turning Stone Resort Casino located near the upstate town of Verona. This over 3,400-acre facility is run by the federally-recognized Oneida Indian Nation and has long purportedly argued that its gaming compact would permit it to offer such services if they were to be made available elsewhere in New York. The newspaper reported that, barring a special legislative session, New York lawmakers will now not be able to revisit the issue of legalized state-wide sports betting before January while the New York State Gaming Commission has yet to divulge how it intends to proceed.
