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On Monday, June 10, the state Gaming Commission has scheduled a 1 p.m. vote in New York City on proposed rules governing the operation and licensing of limited sports betting statewide.
And everyone seems to want a piece of the action. In amendments filed this week, state Senator Joseph Addabbo, D-Queens, revised his mobile sports betting bill to include in-person wagering at professional sports stadiums and arenas located in counties that do not have traditional gambling venues.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo of New Castle and state lawmakers differ over whether to allow mobile sports betting on cellphones or home computers. An agreement on that detail must be reached before the legislative session ends on June 19.
Citi Field, where the New York Mets play -- the Nassau Coliseum, where the NHL's New York Islanders play some games-- and New Era Field , where the Buffalo Bills play -- could not host sports-betting kiosks because they are in counties that already have other gambling sites: such as Aqueduct Racetrack (Queens County), Belmont Park (Nassau County), Buffalo Raceway and Western OTB locations (Erie County).
In addition to Monticello's Resorts World Catskills, three other commercial casinos are expected to get legalized sports betting: Rivers Casino in Schenectady, del Lago Casino near Rochester and Tioga Downs near Binghamton. Sports betting also would be allowed at casinos operated by the Oneida, Seneca and Akwesasne Mohawk Indian nations.
Sports betting has become a $400 billion-a-year industry. Some legislators see legalization as a way to circumvent the gambling black market while reducing state budget deficits.
New York would join seven other states that have authorized sports betting since a May 2018 U.S. Supreme ruling struck down a federal law that limited sports betting to Nevada. Rules the New York Gaming Commission will consider Monday can take effect even if state legislators take no action.
In addition to the three sports arenas in New York City, proposed changes to Senate Bill 7, by Sen. Addabbo and Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow, a Democrat who represents Mount Vernon and Yonkers, would permit sports betting via kiosks located at the state’s Off-Track Betting (OTB) parlors at three racetracks operated by the New York Racing Association (Saratoga, Belmont and Aqueduct). The amendments would allow sports betting at those racetracks as soon as the full-service casinos open their sports books. The legislation would allow the state’s racinos (horse tracks with slot machines) and sports arenas to offer wagering at a later date.
If the state Gaming Commission approves its sports betting rules, sports betting could become legal, on a limited basis, by late summer.
A map of the eight states where sports betting is allowed was compiled by ESPN by clicking here. There are five other states, in addition to New York and the District of Columbia, where legislation recently passed to expand legalized gambling to sports.
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