Share 
Public opinion on sports betting in New York is far more skeptical than the state’s record-breaking wagering totals might suggest. A new Siena Poll released July 22 found that 39% of New York residents believe online sports gambling has been bad for the state, while just 22% call it good and 31% land in the middle.
One in four New Yorkers (25%) say they placed a bet of any size on a sporting event in the past year. Among that group, 84% bet with online sportsbooks, 54% bet with friends or family, 41% bet at casinos and 24% bet with bookies, per the Siena release.
“Attitudes towards sports betting varies greatly based on one’s participation with online sports betting,” said Travis Brodbeck, Siena’s associate director of data management.
Siena Poll finds bettors and non-bettors split sharply
The poll’s clearest fault line runs between people who bet and people who don’t. Among sports bettors, 49% called online gambling good for New York and only 14% called it bad. Non-bettors saw it almost exactly in reverse: 45% called it bad, and just 14% called it good.
“The majority of bettors are unbothered by TV ads for online sportsbooks and express minimal concern over live-game betting commentary,” Brodbeck said. “Ultimately, bettors view sports betting as a net positive for New York.”
Siena University conducted the poll July 1-8 among 814 New York residents. Of those, 365 were reached by phone or text (52 completed via text-to-web) and 449 came from an online panel.
Results were weighted against the US Census Bureau’s 2023 American Community Survey to reflect the state’s demographics, and the poll carries a margin of error of 3.7 percentage points.
46% of residents over age 50 call NY sports betting harmful
Age tells a similar story. Among residents older than 50, 46% called online sports betting bad for the state, 29% were in the middle and just 16% called it good. Participation splits just as sharply: only 12% of residents over 50 placed a bet in the past year, compared with 35% of those under 50.
Betting also skews heavily male. Overall, 37% of men said they’d bet on sports in the past year, compared with 14% of women. Among men age 18 to 49, that figure jumped to 53%.
“We are seeing a generational gap in those who participate in and support sports betting,” Brodbeck said. “Not only are many young New Yorkers placing bets of their own, but they also view the issues surrounding sports betting through a different lens than older residents.”
Views on sportsbook marketing are nearly evenly divided: 44% of residents said betting ads should be allowed during live broadcasts, while 43% disagreed, according to the Siena Poll.
A slimmer but still notable majority, 52%, said commentators discussing odds and bets mid-broadcast hurt the viewing experience.
Study links betting access with falling household savings
A separate study lends betting skeptics more evidence. Brigham Young University researchers Mark Johnson and Jason Kotter examined transaction data from 184,000 households and found that net investment in brokerage accounts fell 20% after states began legalizing sports betting, with the money increasingly drawn from savings and investment accounts rather than other entertainment spending, Legal Sports Report reported.
Kotter said frequent sports viewers often feel like experts on their favorite teams, breeding overconfidence about beating the odds even though few bettors ever turn a profit. He acknowledged that sports wagering isn’t going away, arguing instead that regulators should focus on curbing problem gambling and educating bettors on responsible play.
Online casino debate faces a skeptical NY public
Sports betting is legal and lucrative in New York, but online casino gambling remains banned under state law, and past efforts to legalize it have repeatedly stalled in Albany.
The new poll numbers give skeptics of expanded online gambling fresh ammunition: If a majority of New Yorkers remain unconvinced — or outright negative — about a sports betting market that’s already generating billions for the state, persuading lawmakers to open the door to online casinos could be an even tougher sell.
