New York Online Sports Betting Could Start in Time for NFL Playoffs

• New Yorkers have been able to make bets at brick-and-mortar casinos for months
• Online sports betting still hasn’t overcome the last regulatory hurdles
• But the launch date is could be as early as mid-January 2022, instead of February as previously cautioned

New York casinos have been able to take in-person wagers since June 2019, and the launch of New York’s online sports-betting industry is growing ever closer.

While the initial hopes of a 2021 start date were dashed some time ago, the start date may be coming sooner than recent reports suggested.

For the last several weeks, the only date regulators were willing to say was realistic was Super Bowl 56 (Sunday, Feb. 13, 2022). But yesterday, State Senator Joseph Addabbo told the media that sportsbooks should be able to offer their mobile sports-betting apps in the second or third week of January.

Happy Holidays. New York online sports betting will likely launch in the second or third week of January, according to Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. https://t.co/gpdlbjG9yu

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) December 23, 2021

Will Online Betting in New York Start in Time for the NFL Playoffs?

The NFL playoffs are scheduled to begin with the Wild-Card on Jan. 15-17, followed by the divisional round from Jan. 22-23. If the reports of the “second or third week of January” are accurate, there is a chance that online betting will be live in NY in time for every single 2022 playoff game.

However, if it misses the “third week of January” date by even a day, it wouldn’t actually be live for any of the Wild-Card round or Divisional round.  That would mean online sports betting would only be available to New Yorkers for three total NFL games this season: the AFC and NFC Championships plus the Super Bowl.

The fact that Sen. Addabbo was willing to be somewhat specific is a good indication that the wheels are fully in motion. But given how many hiccups and delays online betting has already faced in NY, bettors can be forgiven for remaining pessimistic.

Where Will Bettors Be Able to Wager When Online Betting Starts?

The great news for soon-to-be online bettors in the Empire State is that, when the industry is finally up and running, they will have a litany of world-class sportsbooks to choose from. The list of New York sportsbooks includes the likes of Draftkings New York, FanDuel New York, and BetMGM New York, arguably the three best options in the country.

Caesars Sportsbook, Bally Bet, PointsBet, WynnBET, BetRiers, and Empire Resort round out the nine sportsbooks granted mobile-betting licenses to date.