The Full Timeline Leading Up to Online New York Sports Betting

• Online New York sports betting is expected to launch in January 2022
• Retail sportsbooks have been accepting in-person wagers since 2019
• See the timeline with key highlights leading up to the expected launch of online NY sportsbooks

The path to online New York sports betting has been long and winding, but there is light at the end of the tunnel for bettors in the Empire State.

New York sports betting was first legalized at the state level way back in 2013, and standalone retail sportsbooks started opening in 2019. With online wagering expected to get underway in January 2022, the full timeline is almost complete.

Let’s recap the timeline leading up to this point, the latest information on an anticipated online launch date, and see all the mobile NY sportsbooks set to go live.

New York Sports Betting Timeline – Key Highlights

Some New Yorkers might be surprised to learn that sports betting was effectively legalized in the Empire State back in 2013. This law was passed at the state level, and the federal ban on US sports betting wasn’t lifted until the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2018.

Here’s a timeline with key events for New York sports betting, starting with the initial piece of legislation from 2013:

2013: Sports betting was legalized at the state level in New York, as the New York Casino Gambling Amendment, Proposal 1 was approved by voters on November 5, 2013. This amendment allowed for sports betting to be offered at four new commercial casinos, provided the federal ban on sports betting gets lifted.

2018: The US Supreme Court overturns PASPA on May 14, 2018, ending the federal ban on sports betting. With a state-level law already in place, New York was able to begin working on rules and regulations for legal sports betting.

Huge growth in the national sports betting handle in the three years since PASPA was overturned, but the real momentum only started last summer. pic.twitter.com/9krUDNHfEg

— David Forman (@dp_forman) May 14, 2021

2019: The Rivers Sportsbook at Rivers Casino in Schenectady becomes the first retail sportsbook to start accepting wagers in New York on July 16, 2019. Other sportsbooks like FanDuel, DraftKings, and Caesars Sportsbook would follow suit with their own brick-and-mortar locations.

2020: With state officials like Senator Joseph Addabbo and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow pushing for online sports betting to be established in New York, the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic halted sports betting reform in the Empire State. The disrupted legislative season pushed the topic of mobile NY sports betting into 2021.

2021: New York state legislators passed a state budget bill on April 6, 2021, that paved the way for online and mobile sports betting to launch in New York. Regulators like the New York State Gaming Commission would spend the rest of the year finalizing the official rules for mobile NY sportsbooks.

2022: While the official launch date hasn’t been announced at this point, online New York sports betting is anticipated to launch in the second or third week of January 2022.

The Launch of Online NY Sports Betting Is Fast Approaching

From state-level legalization in 2013 to the launch of mobile New York sports betting, the timeline above is nearly complete. All that’s left is for sportsbooks to launch their betting sites and mobile apps, which is expected to happen in time for the NFL playoffs and Super Bowl LVI.

According to Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., New York online sports betting will likely launch in the second or third week of January.

The New York Gaming Commission will announce a permitted start date for sportsbooks to launch when the servers are ready to process bets.

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) December 23, 2021

State Senator Joseph Addabbo, who has been a key figure at every step of the way for New York sports betting, recently said sportsbooks should get the go-ahead for the second or third week of January 2022. He said an official launch date will be announced in advance, and any sportsbooks that are ready to launch will be allowed to do so on day one.

Online NY Sportsbooks Expected to Launch on Day One

Here is the full list of online sportsbooks that received mobile sports betting licenses in New York:

Mobile New York Sportsbooks

Once an official launch date is announced, these sportsbooks will be given the opportunity to launch on the first day of online sports betting. While some may not be ready in time, many of the big players like DraftKings and FanDuel are likely already prepared to go live.

Make sure you stay locked in with Sports Betting Dime for all the latest news and analysis regarding the launch of online NY sports betting.