New Yorkers Split on Legalized Sports Betting, According to New Poll Results

• New poll shows opinions are split on New York’s legalized sports betting market
• 39% of poll respondents believe sports betting is valuable for tax revenues, entertainment purposes
• 37% of respondents believe it increases problem gambling risk and threatens the integrity of sports

New Yorkers seem to be split in their opinions of the Empire State’s legalized sports betting market, as respondents praised the market’s tax revenues but decried the potential threat of increased problem gambling rates and threat to event integrity.

A new poll published by Siena Research Institute showed 39% of New York respondents agree that the state’s legalized sports betting market provides valuable tax revenues and adds more entertainment to sports, while 37% agree with its opponents that it increases the risk of problem gambling and can threaten the integrity of sports.

The poll included responses from 814 respondents and was conducted from Sept. 15 to 22.

Please No Discussion on Sports Betting

While opinions were split on the benefits and risks of sports betting, the majority of participants agreed that sports betting topics should be left out of broadcasts. According to the poll results, 54% of respondents said sports commentators should not be allowed to offer remarks on sports betting or potential bets during live broadcasts compared with 25% of respondents who approved.

The majority of those who approved of the benefits of sports betting were male (46% compared with 33% of respondents). However, the majority of respondents who were opponents of legalized sports betting were also male (39% compared with 35%).

“While between 14 and 18% of all New Yorkers place bets on baseball or football games with online sportsbooks, nearly a third of fans use online sportsbooks to bet on their favorite sports. Fans are more inclined to see the benefits rather than risks of online sports betting but both fans and non-fans agree that sports commentators should not be allowed to talk about sports gambling and potential bets during the games,” according to Don Levy, SRI’s Director.

According to the poll, 18% of respondents place bets on football through an online sportsbook compared with 82% who do not, while 14% of respondents place bets on baseball games through online sportsbooks compared with 85% of respondents who do not.

New York’s Massive Market

The New York sports betting market is one of the largest in the world and consistently provides millions to the state in tax revenues.

In September alone, the New York State Gaming Commission reported nearly $2.3 billion in online sports betting handle and $193.7 million in gross gaming revenues. At the state’s 51% tax rate, New York reported $98.8 million in sports betting revenues to be used for educational purposes in the month.