New York Online Sports Betting

It took some time, but New York sports betting emerged in late 2018, finally.

However, restrictions on the product limited its full potential. Despite this, New Yorkers can enjoy retail sports betting at the state’s four commercial casinos and tribal properties throughout the Empire State.

You also have the option of downloading in NY and betting in NJ. All you need to do is download a NJ sports betting app, create your new account and drive across state lines.

Once you’re in NJ, you can place your bet and head home, or hang out and watch the game. You do not need to be in NJ to collect your winnings, only to bet. 

When will NY online sportsbooks launch?

There has been a long battle over mobile sports betting legalization in New York. Many hope lawmakers can gain bipartisan support to pass online gaming legislation. It includes a mobile sports betting component. Unfortunately, online sports betting is not a priority right now.

Loyal fans of DraftKings and FanDuel will have to wait a bit longer before they can place wagers on their smartphones or computers.

Live retail sportsbooks, partnerships in New York

Retail sportsbooks are open for business at these four commercial properties:

• Tioga Downs + FanDuel Sportsbook
• Rivers Casino + BetRivers
• Resorts World Catskills + Bet365
• Del Lago Resorts & Casino + DraftKings Sportsbook

Sportsbooks are also available at these tribal casinos:

• Turning Stone Resort Casino (Oneida Indian Nation)
• Yellow Brick Road Casino (Oneida Indian Nationa)
• Point Place Casino (Oneida Indian Nation)
• Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino (Seneca Nation of New York)
• Seneca Allegany Casino (Seneca Nation of New York)
• Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino (Seneca Nation of New York)
• Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort (Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe)

How online sports betting will work in New York

Once online sports betting becomes legal in New York, it will work as it does in Indiana and New Jersey via a mobile device or desktop computer.

Legal sports betting apps on Android or Apple devices provide a convenient and safe option to place bets online.

To place online sports bets in New York, follow these steps:

• Sign-Up: Regulated sportsbooks will ask for the last four digits of your Social Security number. You may have to register in person at a retail sportsbook, but that is yet to be determined.
• Deposit: Fund your online sports betting account with cash or linking a credit or debit card.
• Bet: Find the bet that is right for you with sportsbooks providing a multitude of options.
• Decide What Type Of Bet: Singles, parlays, props and live betting options will be available.

Download a sportsbook mobile app and register

We don’t know yet if you will have to travel to a land-based sportsbook and register for a mobile account in person. However, it’s only a slight wrinkle as traveling to a NY casino is manageable. Bettors need to be at least 21 years or older to gamble in New York.

You won’t be able to place a bet online from outside NY state lines.

Geolocation technology combines IP and Wi-Fi data. If there is any doubt about your location or you use a proxy/VPN, you will not be able to bet.

New York may not have mobile sports betting, but nearby New Jersey does

Although New York City residents can’t place bets online, they can travel the short distance into New Jersey and wager from their phones or tablets. 

Ever since NJ sports betting became legal, this has been a reoccurring scenario. Though legal retail sports betting legalization finally got up and running in New York in 2019, its locations are quite spread out, and not exactly convenient to those living in populous New York City.

New Jersey is an easy nearby option, and therefore it’s actually reaping the financial benefits the longer New York misses out on legal mobile betting.  

How to deposit and withdraw

Funding your sports betting account is the next step.

Free bets are an attractive incentive in other states, so you may experience delays if you hit an early win.

The greatest advantage of legal online betting sites is that you can use mainstream payment options. These include credit cards, bank transfers, and even cash.

Here are the main methods:

• Debit and Credit Cards: You can use most debit or credit cards to make a deposit. Most sportsbooks will welcome Visa, Mastercard, Discover, and even Amex. 
• Cash: Casino cages are available for cash deposits, which is a quick, easy and traditional way of getting your money in and your winnings out. Cash at the cage is not the only method for cash deposits.
• Bank Transfers: Options for making direct transfers from your bank are beyond old-fashioned bank wires. These days, e-checks, also called ACH transfers, are a popular option.
• Electronic Wallets: The best-known e-wallet is PayPal; other forms include Skrill and Neteller. This broad category contains third-party payment options that offer extra protection and the ability to keep your bank and gambling money separate. E-wallets have fees, which many bettors are content paying.  

Using an online sportsbook

Once you register and fund your account, you’ll be ready to place your first online sports bet.

The apps and websites may have differences in their menus, but the designs follow the same basic principles.

The three primary columns are:

• Left Column: Where you will find a list of sports. 
• Middle Column: This is where you will see the list of upcoming games. The main bets, moneylines or totals, are on display.
• Right Column: This is where your bet slip. You can add bets from the middle to your bet slip, then organize them separately later. Here, you choose whether to place singles or parlays and enter the amount to bet before confirming. If your sportsbook offers cash-out betting, you will usually find this on the right-hand side.

Other pages to monitor include your account information, the cashier, bonuses and promotions. It is essential to keep an eye on promotions pages just in case a game that you were planning on betting offers a special boost or insurance promo.

Rewards and Bonuses

After you nail down the process of placing a wager, you can focus on maximizing the benefits. 

With a long list of major brand sportsbooks already in New York, expect offers to be available.

Offers from online sportsbooks come in four broad types:

• No Deposit and Free Bet Bonuses: Most state-regulated books will offer a small bet for merely registering. These bets do expire. Be sure to check for further wagering requirements on any wins, as these will vary.
• Sportsbook Deposit Bonuses: To encourage deposits, expect NY sportsbooks to offer a 100% matched bonus which can vary in size between $100-$1,000 or more. Some books incentivize deposits differently so be sure and read the fine print.
• Promotions: Both standing promos and one-off offers might be available at online sportsbooks. These include parlay insurance, overtime insurance, enhanced lines, boosts for big parlays or reload bonuses themed on specific events. Picks-style contests and leaderboards are also available.
• Loyalty Reward: Attracting new bettors is only part of the challenge. Loyalty schemes can be flat-rate or divided into tiers with bigger benefits for frequent bettors. Some brands will tie their online loyalty program into existing live casino reward schemes.

Betting on professional league teams from New York

Customers are lucky enough to be able to bet on any and all professional sports teams in New York. 

However, all collegiate teams in NY state are off-limits. This rule includes any teams from outside New York participating in events or tournaments in the state.

Professional teams include:

• New York Giants (NFL)
• New York Jets (NFL)
• New York Knicks (NBA)
• Brooklyn Nets (NBA)
• New York Rangers (NHL)
• New York Islanders (NHL)
• New York Yankees (MLB)
• New York Mets (MLB)
• New York Red Bulls (MLS)
• New York City FC (MLS)
• New York Liberty (WNBA)

What bets are available at NY sportsbooks

So far, this page has taken you through the process of registering, depositing and choosing a sport. Your next step is to decide what kind of bet to place.

Here are the main types of bets:

• Moneylines: This is a basic single bet. The books will offer lines based on a $100 wager, with favorites shown in a negative form and underdogs as returns from a $100 bet.
• Totals: The number of points scored by both teams during a game.
• Spreads: Here, the sportsbooks will add points to the underdog, leveling the chances of both teams. You can choose to bet the under or over. Spreads are fractional, e.g., 1.5 points to avoid tied results.
• Parlays: Bets that involve multiple games, usually a minimum of three legs. Here, the profits from each game are placed on the next one.
• Teasers: This form of parlay includes spreads, which reduce the risk of individual contests. While you’ll win more frequently in this format, the returns will be lower.
• Round Robins: This form of parlay pitches each team you pick against the others.
• Props: Any bet on the performance of individual players is a proposition bet.
• Futures: Most bets will be on upcoming games. A futures wager, for example, is when you pick the winner of a conference or division at the start of the season.

Live, in-play betting may be available at the online sportsbooks. This type of wagering will allow you to place various types of bets as the game progresses.

Betting on horse races in New York

New York has racetracks, off-track betting offices and participates in simulcast betting with tracks across the country.

New Yorkers can bet at established horse race betting sites, including BetAmerica and TVG. When you bet on horses, you’ll be participating in the same pari-mutuel pools with people at the tracks.

New York sports betting laws

Voters approved legalized sports betting in 2013. However, it wasn’t until the fall of PASPA in 2018 that casinos were finally able to implement sports betting into their properties.

Sports betting operates within the parameters of standard NY gaming law, with a few exceptions:

• No mobile wagering
• No bad-actor clause
• No integrity/royalty fee

New York state does not permit online casinos and poker games; however, daily fantasy sports (DFS) sites are allowed. DFS sites include DraftKings, FanDuel, Fantasy Draft and Yahoo!

New York recap

Rivers Casino & Resorts made history when it became the first NY casino to offer sports betting on July 17. Since then, all four commercial casinos in the state host sports betting.

Owned and operated by the Oneida Indian Nation, Turning Stone Resort Casino was the first tribal property in NY to take wagers. Now, a handful of tribal casinos offer retail sportsbooks with many more to follow.

Once you find a sportsbook that is right for you, be sure to take advantage of the free bet (no-deposit) bonuses and other promotions.