Commission Gives Go-Ahead for NY Sports Betting

The New York Gaming Commission met on Monday to decide whether sports wagering should be given a green-light. An item outlining the possibility was explained and deliberated on by the attending members who voted unanimously in favour.

New York Sports Betting – The Gaming Commission Clears the Way

On Monday 28, the New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) held a meeting during which NYGC members voted unanimously to endorse a proposal that effectively sought to regulate sports betting at commercial casinos.

The vote clears the way for sports wagering in New York, although there’s still a 60-day period during which interested parties can approach the Commission and discuss or dispute the outlined sports betting rules, filed in a pre-proposal draft on Monday.

The rules became officially available on the Commission’s website on Monday, with the Commission having distributed them to interested parties ahead of the actual vote, allowing constituencies to start preparing questions or challenges to the outlined legal framework.

NY Sports Betting Up for Voting: The Motion Caries

The Commission took a few minutes to present the item, explain the nature of the vote and then make a unanimous decision to pass it. Here’s the transcript from the meeting:

“Proposal to enable sports wagering as an authorized game pertaining to the Article 13 of the Racing, Pari-Mutuel Wagering and Breeding Law. The intention of these rules is to provide a solid regulatory structure that would enable the four facilities to get running as soon as practicable with the concept that these regulations can be (re)visited on a future date.”

The four authorized properties from the list are as follows:

• Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, N.Y.
• Rivers Casino in Schenectady
• The del Lago Casino, in Tyre
• Tioga Downs, west of Binghamton

In the submission to the Commission, the item outlined its focus on the integrity of sports betting as well as the creation of an underlying structure that would allow the regulation of sports betting contests:

The proposed regulations seek to protect the integrity of wagering and underlying contest and ensure that sports wagering remains within the scope of activity legislators authorized. These regulations set forth a similar regulatory framework as those in states that regulate sports wagering presently.

The Proposal Considers Betting in Its Entirety

The proposal will seek to regulate every aspect of the betting experience, including:

• Licensing
• System Requirements
• Wager types
• Integrity, compliance, and responsible gaming

The Commission formulated the proposal in the following terms:

The proposal is also consistent with the existing commission authority related to licensed commercial casinos. The proposal contains definitions applicable to sports wagering and addresses such items as licensing, system requirements, wager types, full integrity, compliance and responsible gaming elements

Referring the separate draft outlining the steps towards sports the legalization of the sports betting industry, the Commission explained that there would be a 60-day period during which interested parties can address their questions or challenge the draft altogether:

A pre-proposal draft was shared with various interested constituencies, and those rules determined pertinent, have been incorporated. Staff recommends that the commission authorize the proposal of this rule making.

Should the Commission propose these rules, all interested parties will have 60 days for public comment, following the publication in the state register.

[…]

The motion passes.

A Few Items Missing in New York Sports Betting Proposal

The proposed rules were thorough, but they still missed to outline several potentially contentious points, including:

• A bad actor rule
• Mobile gaming provision
• Integrity fees

It’s unlikely that the Commission would seek to apply integrity fees or pursue bad actors, though it remains a possibility.

As to mobile gaming, Senator Joseph Addabbo seems determined to push sports betting in its entirety, including mobile.

Developing.