New York Lawmaker Eyes Online Sports Betting Expansion

• A bill has been reintroduced to expand New York’s online sports betting market
• Sen. Carrie Woerner introduced A6013 to allow up to 16 total New York online sports betting licenses
• She introduced a similar bill at the start of 2025

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The New York online sports betting market is outpacing every other legal state, but one New York lawmaker thinks it could be performing even better.

Sen. Carrie Woerner (D-113) has re-introduced bill A6013, a bill to expand the amount of New York online sports betting licenses to at least 16 licenses by Jan. 31, 2027. Additionally, the state’s sports betting tax rate will be reduced depending on the number of licenses in circulation.

There are nine active New York online sports betting licenses, but only eight of the license holders are currently offering online sports betting.

Fourteen Active Licenses by End of 2026

Woerner’s bill has been referred to the Senate racing and wagering committee. She also introduced the same bill in in early 2025, but it never received a vote.

Woerner’s legislation will allow for up to a maximum of 16 online sports betting licenses in New York by 2027, up from the current nine licenses that are available. The bill mandates that 14 online sports betting operators be active in New York by Jan. 31, 2026, and 16 be active in the Empire State by Jan. 31, 2027.

With the 2026 deadline for 14 active operators only about two weeks away, the date will likely be amended if the bill moves forward.

Similarly to how the original nine licenses were awarded, the New York State Gaming Commission will accept applications in a public process and grant new licenses. Licenses will be granted on a rolling basis to expedite the process and maximize revenues to the state.

The bill will allow any operator who previously applied for a license to apply again.

Additionally, the bill will decease the country’s highest online sports betting tax rate at 51% by the number of awarded licenses. Her legislation calls for a graduated decrease of the tax rate as follows:

• 10 to 12 online sports betting operators: 50% tax rate
• 13 to 14 operators: 35% tax rate
• 15 or more operators: 25% tax rate

Nine online sports betting licenses are currently active in the state. However, license holder Resorts World ceased online sports betting activity this past June.

Are New York Sports Betting Changes Necessary?

Would more licenses actually improve New York’s sports betting market? It is hard to believe that additional licenses could do more for the state, as it is already the most profitable sports betting market in the entire country.

The Empire State set new online sports betting records for both handle and gross gaming revenues in 2025. New York online sports bettors wagered nearly $26.3 billion during the year, about $3.5 billion more than in 2024.

The state took in more than $2.5 billion in gross gaming revenues for the year, nearly $500 million more than it did in 2024.

Sports betting customers bet a total of $26,275,491,294 in 2025, a 14.8% increase over the 2024 online sports betting handle total of $22,873,496,733.

Additionally, New York reported $2,548,318,181 in gross gaming revenue, leading to $1,299,642,272 in sports betting tax revenues for the year. Gross gaming revenues increased by 23.7% over the 2024 total of $2,059,297,238.

Sports betting tax revenues increased in 2025 by $249,400,681 compared with its 2024 totals.