New York Sports Betting & The Best Sports Betting Sites in NY 2024

New York is one of the places that has become quite the standout locations in the United States. Many people wish to visit Fifth Avenue, see the Empire State Building, sail past the Statue of Liberty and so on. But what about the people that live in the state of New York? Obviously, those tourist destinations aren’t specifically going to be anything new to them. So, how do they spend their time? Well, perhaps sports betting in New York is something that takes their fancy. As it happens, NY sports betting industry is something that fully emerged in 2018, although certain restrictions have limited how far it’s been able to expand.

That’s why we’re here to take a look at what The Empire State offers in terms of its sports betting opportunities. Is it possible to engage in wagering on New York’s professional sports betting teams? What sites provide the best sportsbooks for you to access from within? Are daily fantasy sports (DFS) available? And what exactly are the state laws surrounding online gambling? We’ll be taking a look at these questions and much more here.

Top 3 Sports Betting Sites For Players From New York in 2024

New York sports betting is a possibility, although it’s not uncommon for bettors to access sites located offshore. Some of the platforms that we recommend remain in such locations as well, although these are available to more than just New Yorkers. Instead, players based across the entirety of the USA have the option of accessing and joining them. Our team of experts have sought out the greatest online sportsbooks for this very reason, which you can see below.

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Is New York Sports Betting Legal? NO!

New York Sports Betting

Legal sports betting was finally brought into law in New York on July 17, 2018. This came just a couple of months after the United States Supreme Court overturned the PASPA law. That allowed each individual state to introduce sports betting opportunities, if they so wished. The first live sports betting options were offered via the Rivers Casino and Resort, and various other venues came shortly after with such.

As it happens though, New Yorkers actually approved a referendum via a vote in 2013, which would legalize sports betting. Of course, that wasn’t officially able to be enacted until the PASPA law was dismissed five years later. Due to this, New York’s lawmakers didn’t choose to focus on any laws and rules for operators prior to this time, as it wouldn’t have made sense. So, with the publication of those laws, online betting became operational in New York’s commercial and tribal casinos as a legal entity.

For the time being though, these land-based casinos are the only places that legal sports betting can take place in. This means that as far as an online scenario is concerned, this isn’t possible other than at the various offshore sites.

However, several forms of gambling in general have been functional in New York for many decades. Since 1967, state lottery games have been available, and the final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown, known as the Belmont Stakes, has been taking place at Belmont Park for over 150 years, too. Therefore, it’s not like gambling is specifically new to New York State. Of course, newer forms of gambling have been brought into law in more recent times, generating a steady stream of tax revenue.

In 1993, the district of Verona opened its first tribal casino, known as the Turning Stone Resort. This provided visitors with a Vegas-style casino experience, and this wasn’t something that New Yorkers were accustomed to in any way. Legal sports betting also came into operation there as of August 2, 2018. That casino establishment is owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation of New York. This tribe would also go on to open two more casinos within the state, and four more locations were launched by two other native tribes. Therefore, the state had seven locations where casino games could be played.

Eight racetracks are also functional within New York, also titled as racinos. This means that not only do they provide sports bettors with horse racing betting, but various video lottery terminals and electronic table games to access, too. This is something that continued until 2013, when voters approved the full-on expansion of gambling. At that point, seven commercial casinos were also authorized to be constructed, and no tribal affiliation was needed for these. Four of them have already been built, and these are quite a distance away from the most populous location – New York City.

Those four commercial casinos with sports betting opportunities at them are:

  • Tioga Downs in affiliation with the FanDuel sportsbook
  • Rivers Casino in affiliation with BetRivers
  • Resorts World Catskills in affiliation with Bet365
  • Del Lago Resorts and Casino in affiliation with the DraftKings sportsbook
  • Turning Stone Resort and Casino sports betting with Caesars Entertainment

To add to that, the seven tribal casinos also all offer sports betting possibilities for their visitors. Therefore, you can go to the Turning Stone, Yellow Brick Road, Point Place, Seneca Buffalo Creek, Seneca Allegany, Seneca Niagara and Akwesasne Mohawk casinos to engage in such, too.

Online gambling is something that is not yet permitted in New York, though. That being said, once it does become available, it’s likely to work in the same way that New Jersey and Indiana sports betting market does – via a mobile device or a desktop computer. Therefore, for online sports betting to occur this way, it’s likely that mobile sports betting apps will need to be created. However, Governor Andrew Cuomo has been hesitant to legalization of mobile sports betting in the state, according to Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. Little information has been given as to why this is the case, but the Governor has said before that a constitutional amendment would be needed to cater to this.

Our Recommended New York Sports Betting Site 2021

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The Top 4 Out-Of-State Sports Betting Sites Overview

If you’re a resident of New York and you’re looking for an online sportsbook with great features, then you’ve come to the right place. We know of the best platforms that are available to you, and we have brought them together for you here. Signing up to one of these sportsbooks will allow you to benefit from various impressive features as a bettor, and our team of experts have rated and reviewed them in full to ensure this.

1. Bovada Sportsbook – The Best for an Excellent Sign-Up Bonus (Welcome Bonus: 100% up to $250)

Bovada is known throughout the sports betting world as being one of the primary sources for exciting sports opportunities. The site affords its users access to a number of different sporting events and connected markets. There’s an excellent sign up bonus waiting for you, of up to $750 in bonus funds, and it also comes with a low rollover attached to it. During football season, Bovada is one of those sportsbooks that really comes to life even more so, throwing high-quality promotions at its bettors. It’s also one of the fastest sites when it comes to processing payments for its players.

The sportsbook at Bovada and some of its football markets

What we like:

  • Excellent sign up bonus for Bitcoin users
  • Soft odds available compared to other sites
  • Speedy withdrawal process in operation
  • Long and respected history

What we don’t like:

  • 5.9% charge on credit card transactions

2. BetUS Sportsbook – The Best for a Variety of Bonuses and VIP Perks (Welcome Bonus: 125% Up to $2,500)

The BetUS sportsbook is one of those sites that will capture you from the moment that you visit it. This is because it promotes itself as the best online sportsbook for US players. It does feature a good selection of exciting sports betting options, and this is able to be wagered on via some great software. There are many special offers that you can claim and benefit from, while a VIP program makes things even better in the long-run. While it probably isn’t considered anything elite when compared with other platforms, it’s definitely one of the more viable options for New Yorkers.

BetUS online sportsbook and some of its NHL options

What we like:

  • Competitive sports betting odds
  • Long history in the sports betting sector
  • Exciting bonuses and VIP rewards
  • Great software

What we don´t like:

  • Sometimes, withdrawals aren’t speedy
  • Several unwelcoming bonus T&Cs

3.MyBookie.ag – The Best for a Great Welcome Bonus and Excellent Software (Welcome Bonus: 100% up to $1000)

The MyBookie website has a lot going for it, including 24/7 customer support, a good range of safe and secure supported payment methods and low minimum deposits. You’ll also find that it allows you to transact via Bitcoin for free, offers a welcome bonus of up to $1,000 on top of your initial deposit, and has some excellent betting software in operation, too. That’s quite the exceptional set of achievements for a site that has been functional since 2014 and has its headquarters in Costa Rica. However, it really does bring everything together to provide a truly inviting online site.

The homepage of the MyBookie sportsbook

 

What we like:

  • Great welcome bonus up to $1,000
  • 24/7 customer support
  • Support for cryptocurrency transactions
  • Quick and effective payouts

What we don´t like:

  • Large mobile wagering requirement for bonuses

How We Rate the Best New York Sports Betting Sites

Is it safe to play at offshore sports betting sites from New York, though? Well, the answer is yes, if you select one of our recommended online platforms. However, if you’re intending to seek out an alternative, there are some things that you should keep in mind and consider when thinking about joining them. These things include:

  • Is there an official license?
  • Does the platform support a wide number of payment methods?
  • Does the sports betting site enforce high-quality security measures?
  • Is the sportsbook compatible with mobile devices?
  • Does the sportsbook have a good customer support team?
  • Is it easy to navigate around the website?
  • Can you claim a great set of promotions as a newcomer or regular player?
  • Is there a VIP scheme on hand or a loyalty program?
  • Can you access a large number of sports and markets for betting on?

What to consider when choosing a Sports Betting Sites

We don’t just pluck sportsbooks out of thin air and label them as being the best for New York residents. Instead, we have a team that thoroughly checks through them and looks into all of their features. Once they have done so, they are rated and compared with one another before the list is created. That’s how we reached our collection of the top four sportsbooks in New York. But what features does this team look for when reviewing such?

Licensed and Regulated

Online sportsbooks should be able to receive backing from at least one official, high-quality gambling licensing authority. This ensures that they are adhering to certain specific rules around gambling fairness and player security. If a sportsbook doesn’t possess an official license, then it needs to have a very high level of repute with its bettors.

Banking methods

The final feature that we want to ensure, is that players have the opportunity to deposit and withdraw via a payment method that they prefer. This means credit cards, e-wallets, cryptocurrencies, bank transfers and so on. These transactions should be easy to proceed with, and players should also be able to withdraw in a speedy timeframe.

Safety and Security

It’s one thing to possess a license which provides regulations on security measures needed. However, it’s quite another to enforce those measures, so we have sought out the platforms with the best in security. This means that transactions should be safe, with data for such being sent in encrypted format. Additionally, all player data should be kept out of the hands of third parties by being stored on a secure server.

Bonus and rewards

We always want to know that people who are participating in sports betting are also getting the chance to obtain some enthralling promotions and rewards. This is why our team seeks out such perks when reviewing sportsbooks. Promotions should be available for both newcomers and ongoing bettors to benefit from, and should include bonuses, cashback rewards, VIP schemes and so on.

Customer support

If a player ever needs support while placing sports bets at their chosen online platform, then it’s important to know that advisors are reachable in various ways. This means that live chat, telephone support and email should be outrightly available. At the same time, players should also be able to benefit from speaking with agents at any time of day, and if possible, contactable through social media, too.

Range of Betting Markets

It’s necessary to be able to wager on a variety of sports when accessing an online sportsbook. Otherwise, what’s the point? Fortunately, the sites that we recommend all come with a great range of sports betting opportunities, including many sports that are associated with the United States. This means that wagering on the MLB, NHL, NFL, NBA, college football and so on should be easy. At these sites we suggest, it is.

The Future of New York Sports Betting & Online Gambling

As things stand at the moment, there has been quite the extensive battle over mobile sports betting becoming a legal activity in The Empire State. Many have looked forward to lawmakers gaining bipartisan support in order to pass an online gambling bill, which would include a mobile betting component. However, it has been dismissed as not really being a priority for New York right now.

Almost every DFS operator is active and available within the state at the moment, so this remains as something that is likely to continue. Unfortunately, this is also a sector that exists under some sort of gray cloud area. DFS were legalized in the state in 2016, but the new law that was introduced for it immediately came up against some backlash. Two years after, a New York Supreme Court judge declared that law as unconstitutional, although DFS still remain operational within.

Therefore, it’s likely that an online sports betting bill would come up against the same sort of challenge from opponents. Online horse betting is a possibility, with companies like BetAmerica and Twin Spires being available to proceed with this on. However, this is not something that helps with general online sports betting. Lawmakers in New York have failed to make any move on propelling an online sports bill to the forefront in recent legislative sessions. It will be at least another year before anything potentially happens with it.

Where Else is Online Gambling Legal in the US?

AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY DC

Best Online Casinos in New York

Should you hold more of an interest in playing casino games, or even in participating in such alongside your sports betting activities, there are plenty of sites available for this. Check out our collection of the best online casinos for New Yorkers. We’re sure you’ll find something suitable for your needs.

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The Bottom Line

New York has taken some steps towards a more liberalized sports betting, and indeed gambling sector in general. However, it still has to go ahead with some sort of online law in order to allow citizens to access such opportunities from a computer or mobile device. It would be nice to see this come into effect within the next year, but for now, enthusiastic bettors will need to access the offshore sites instead.

New York Sports Betting FAQs

Where Do New Yorkers Currently Go to Access Online Sports Betting?

Unless New Yorkers utilize the offshore sites mentioned, then it’s likely that they’ll travel to the nearby states of Pennsylvania or New Jersey for their online sports betting fix.

Which New York Sports Teams Can Be Wagered on at Sportsbooks in the State?

All of the state’s professional sports teams can be wagered on easily. These include the New York Knicks, the Yankees, the Rangers, the Mets and so on.

Is Online Sports Gambling Likely to Become Available Soon?

It doesn’t really seem like sports wagering via the internet is going to become accessible in the very near future. New York has way too many challenges to overcome in order to accomplish this, so it’s likely to be at least another year or two before things really start moving properly.

Will DFS Remain Accessible in New York If the Law Has Been Overruled?

Only time will tell on this front. All major fantasy sports operators are active within New York at the moment, although there has been plenty of legal wrangling in force regarding it. Technically, the state does not currently have any sort of regulations in place for DFS at the moment, though.

Are Casinos in New York Still Operational?

The unfortunate impact of COVID pandemic meant that all the state’s casinos had to close down completely. The four commercial casinos of the state were closed from March due to coronavirus, but Andrew Cuomo stated that they could be opened again at 25% capacity from the beginning of September. The tribal casinos operate on their own merit, though.

Do the Offshore Sites Allow New Yorkers to Download Mobile Apps?

While all of the sportsbooks accessible to New York residents can be accessed via a mobile device as well, not all of them have downloadable mobile apps.

About Jack Schiffko

Jack S. is a seasoned gambler and writer with over 10 years experience within the iGaming industry. He has written for several online casinos, bookmakers and iGaming news outlets. His favorite subjects are slots and live casino games. Find out what kind of games he recommends and prefers.