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Sports betting could bring big revenue to NYS, but advocates worry about problem gambling

Several states in the U.S. have legalized mobile sports betting. It’s something that supporters of legalizing sports betting have called for in the last several sessions of state legislature.

This year there is renewed hope that as New York State faces a $13+ billion deficit – that it will finally act on legalizing mobile betting.


State Senator Joe Addabbo says that as other states legalize it and reap the benefits from it – New York is left sitting idly. “We’re that disabled car in the left-hand lane, and Jersey is that Lamborgini passing us rather quickly,” Addabbo told CNYCentral.

For comparison of numbers, New York’s four state-run casinos generated around $7.5 million in sports gambling revenue in 2019. In New Jersey, where online gambling was legalized in 2018 – they generated $181 million. Legislators believe that New York will significantly outperform New Jersey and other states that have legalized mobile betting, as hundreds-of-millions of dollars have already been flowing into neighboring states from New York.

READ MORE: Problem gambling a big concern for those waiting to see if NYS legalizes mobile betting