There are more than 10 states that are pushing forward with their sports betting legislation plans as they look to legalize sports wagering and tape into a lucrative revenue stream that was made possible in 2018 after the Supreme Court decided to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992.
New York should have been one right up there with New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and New Mexico who all legalized sports betting in 2018. This is especially because New York started working on a sports betting draft bill in 2013 and was eager to offer sports betting services.
It does not look like New York is going to be taking any action soon as the state is engaged in a battle with the Seneca Indian Nation over payments from their casinos to state coffers. It appears that New York Governor Andrew Cuomo does not want to push forward with sports betting legalization as it would mean that the Seneca Indian Nation would also be able to offer sports betting services in the state.
Governor Cuomo does not want to concede that victory to the tribe while his government is in arbitration and hence has put things on hold. Gambling analysts who are familiar with the dispute between the government and the tribal casino operator said that it is highly likely for things to remain in limbo until the two parties can work out a mutual agreement.
Cuomo’s office has played down the delay and stated that they were still in the process of working on their sports betting plans and are yet to decide on how they will proceed. The Seneca Indian Nation have preferred to keep quiet on the issue as well.
If you look at the Governor’s 2019 priority schedule which was released in December, one can see that sports betting is not on the agenda. The executive budget proposal will be released on Feb 1 and gaming analysts don’t expect it to include sports betting. However, there are a few analysts who believe that the final budget will contain sports betting provisions. The final budget will be submitted by March 31.
If sports betting is included, legislators will have a huge challenge before them. Online gambling is currently banned in New York. If the state proceeds with sports betting, they will want online and mobile sports betting to be made available.
That would mean making amendments to the Constitution to allow legalized online gambling. If New York proceeds with a constitution amendment, it would take a few years and the earliest one can expect it to be completed would be in 2021.
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