NY Sports Betting Bill Marches On, Heads to Assembly

• Spots betting S 17D clears Senate
• Addabbo optimistic about bill’s chance
• Mobile betting and new betting venues featured in the legislation

The NY sports betting bill has cleared the Senate successfully and is one step closer to the desk o NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Sports Betting Bill Clears NY Senate

Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.’s bill has been one of the longest-debating sports betting bills in New York. After a decisive voting session in the Senate on Monday, June 17, with S 17D clearing Senate with 57-5 in favor of a passage.

Addabbo first revealed his intentions to introduce sports betting in the Empire State at the beginning of 2019, around the same time the latest DOJ Opinion on the Wire Act dropped. His latest push has been awarded with success, although the senator had to collaborate with Democratic senators to tweak the bill in a way that would make it acceptable.

With this new progress emboldening proponents of spots betting in the Empire State, bill S 17D was committed in the Rules Committee. Here is Addabbo’s take on the latest developments:

As the chairman of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, I am delighted that the State Senate has taken this important step towards legalizing sports betting via smart phones and other mobile devices.

Challenging Sports Betting in the NY Assembly

Addabbo is an Assemblyman first, so he understands the risks of pushing the bill through the House. He has an ally in the face of Assemblyman Pretlow who has been a long-time friend of legalizing online betting and poker, but whom some have criticized for a lack of more active stance.

According to Addabbo, Pretlow has done “honorably” insofar as the new legislation goes, but it is Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie that needs convincing.

Heastie will be pivotal for the decision in the Assembly, thinks Addabbo which only stands to reason. Yet, Heastie isn’t the biggest sports betting fan that you would find out there, nor is NY Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Yet, Cuomo has expressed no desire to block the legislation citing popular demand as the reason why and keeping his personal preferences out of the lawmaking process. Still, it’s worth noting that the Governor is against mobile sports betting, which is the main focus of the new legislation.

Meanwhile, the legal machinery of New York has been applied to finalizing a decision whereby casinos have been allowed to offer betting on-site. As per S 17D, sports betting will spread to multiple properties, including racetracks, professional sports venues, and off-track betting parlors.

Meanwhile, the D.C. lottery announced new rules on Friday, June 14, clarifying that sports betting would not be permissible on collegiate colleges, citing integrity fears. This has been a popular opinion and even in states where sports betting is fully legalized, collegiate sports are off limits.

Addabbo is optimistic that lawmakers and the Gov. would all come together and adopt the legislation. This way, the Assemblyman believes, the state can tap into nearly $100 million in revenue and effectively clamp down on illegal sports betting in the state. s