New York Sports Betting: Best NY Sportsbooks, Betting Sites and Promos - 2026

Written by: Richard Janvrin |✅Fact Checked and Updated March 2024 by: Michael Savio

New York sports betting is live and thriving in after it was first introduced in retail establishments in 2019. NY sports betting really took off in January 2022 when NY online sportsbooks went live in the state, allowing New Yorkers to stay in the state in order to place their wagers instead of crossing state lines to New Jersey. Currently there are 9 New York sportsbooks operating in the state.

The excitement for legal sports betting in New York was palpable as the state’s handle exceeded $1 billion in each of the first six months.

Feel free to scroll down to find the best New York sportsbooks and their reviews, the best NY sports betting promos, in addition to the latest news and updates from the legal NY sports betting sites.

Is sports betting legal in New York?

Not only is sports betting legal in New York, but it is a thriving industry that is becoming very profitable for the state. New York residents and visitors are wagering more than $1 billion per month on sports within state lines, meaning the state itself is racking in more than $500 million per month in tax revenue from the sportsbooks in New York. 

The first legal sports wagers were made in person in physical sportsbooks in 2019, but the industry exploded in 2022 when online sports betting went live in the state.

The monthly New York sports betting handle skyrocketed exponentially, with the best sportsbooks in New York contributing plenty to that meteoric rise.

The industry has become so popular that New York state legislators are working on ways to grow the sports betting market in the state by adding more online sportsbooks and making it easier for residents and visitors to spend money on wagering in the state. 

Legal sports betting is going to continue to be very profitable for New York, especially after the state expands its online sports betting options.

The New York Gaming Commission oversees all sports betting in the state and is responsible for administering sports betting regulations in the state.

There are currently nine NY sports betting sites open for operation in New York, and each of them holds its own unique value.

There are some New York betting sites that give you a better user experience, and there are obviously some NY sports betting promos that are better than others.

The experts at USA Legal Betting researched and looked at every single deal to find you the best sports betting in New York as well as the best sportsbooks apps the state has to offer.

• Caesars Sportsbooks NY - 📱Best Betting App in New York
• BetMGM Sportsbook NY - 🏀Best NY Sport Betting Promos
• FanDuel Sportsbook NY - 🏈Best for NY Daily Fantasy Betting
• DraftKings Sportsbook NY - ⚾Best for Betting on NY Sports Teams
• Fanatics Sportsbook NY - 🎁Best for Reward Programs
• BetRivers Sportsbook NY - ⚙️Best for User Experience
• WynnBet Sportsbook NY – 📈Best for the Widest Variety of Betting Markets (Leaving Soon!)
• Resorts World Bet Sportsbook NY – ⏩Fastest Registration Sportsbook in NY
• Bally Bet Sportsbook NY – 👩🏻‍💻Best Customer Support

Let’s take a closer look at the best New York online sportsbooks on the market in the state.

We’ll give you every piece of information you’d ever want to know about each New York betting app, from when it went live to the best promo code available for play.

You won’t miss a beat after reading our comprehensive review of all nine live online sportsbooks in New York providing you with the best preview of the online sports betting scene in New York City and the rest of the state.

Although every sportsbook would love to operate in New York, the state has implemented strict laws around how many licenses it is allowed to give out. At the moment, state law limits the New York State Gaming Commission to just nine sportsbook licenses, but that may change soon as laws are constantly changing in the NY sports betting space.

There are bills in both the New York Senate and the New York Assembly that hope to expand the NY sportsbook options in the state by the end of 2026. The proposal would give the state an additional seven licenses to NY sports betting sites, propping the number of online sportsbooks in New York to 16. It would also lower the tax rate on sports betting for operators, allowing more of the online sports betting giants to enter the market in the state.

If New York can lower the tax rate from 51 percent to 25 percent and increase the number of licenses to 16, it would open the door for more applications from online sportsbooks looking to become a regulated New York sports betting. That would, in turn, give everyone more competition for the title of best online sportsbook in New York and increase the total number of New York online sportsbooks available to the public. That would be a great thing for NY sports betting.

📰 June 5, 2026 - NY Lawmakers Pass Assembly Bill To Revamp Sports Betting Advertising Laws.

📰 May 12, 2026 – New York Falls Just Short of $2 Billion Sports Betting Handle in April.

📰 February 12, 2026 – WynnBET announces they are selling their New York license to Penn Entertainment, paving the way for ESPN Bet to enter the New York sports betting market.

📰 February 12, 2026 – WynnBET announces they are selling their New York license to Penn Entertainment, paving the way for ESPN Bet to enter the New York sports betting market.

📰 January 19, 2026 – The Empire State reports over $67 million in revenue for the week of January 8, setting a new NY sports betting record.

📰 October 18, 2023 – New York creates The Fair Compact for All coalition to monitor the state's negotiating with tribes over the gaming compact.

📰 January 18, 2023 – New York legislators sponsor bill to increase the number of sports gambling operators in the state to 14 by January 1, 2026 and by at least 16 by January 31, 2025.

📰 October 24, 2022 – New York broke the United States record by generating $73 million in tax revenue from sports betting in September, breaking the previous record by $15 million.

📰 October 7, 2022 – Although New York’s sports betting handle totaled over $1 billion in September, it is still falling short of the $1.5 billion the state did in the early months.

📰 September 29, 2022 – The New York betting handle in September dipped from week to week despite a plethora of NFL action as well as Yankee star Aaron Judge chasing the home run record, exciting New York City and the rest of the state.

📰 September 29, 2022 – Although New York’s overall handle dropped in Week 2 of the NFL season, it did see an uptick in overall revenue from sports betting.

📰 September 13, 2022 – The return of NFL action helped New York’s monthly sports betting handle rebound after a slow summer, giving experts hope for a profitable football season in the fall for legal sports betting.

Jan 2022 New York Online Betting is Legal

After analyzing and accepting the first nine bids for mobile sportsbooks in New York, the state opened its doors to online sports betting in New York on January 8. It was perfect timing for online betting in New York to arrive, as it occurred right before the start of the NFL playoffs. Boosted by the popularity of football, NY raked in more than $1 billion in wagers in the first two weeks. This quickly made it clear that New York sports betting was here to stay, as it became the largest betting market in the country. It has maintained that level of sports betting for most of the first nine months as well, except for a small dip in June and July.

October 2021 Getting Close

The New York State Gaming Commission announced that it would tax sports betting operators at one of the highest rates in the nation. An October 2021 proposal set the New York sports betting tax rate at 51 percent of the gross gaming revenue, higher than every state in the country except for New Hampshire. The announcement came at the same time the state approved the applications of nine different operators, divided into two groups based on the indigenous tribe with which they aligned themselves. It was a tough blow for many online sports betting enthusiasts who wanted more options in New York, but it was still a positive for sports betting in the state.

July 2021 Operators Submit Applications

In July 2021, three months after the final budget was approved and signed, the New York online sportsbooks submitted their applications to the New York State Gaming Commission for the first nine licenses in the state. The NY online sportsbooks were divided into two main groups: the Kambi Group of Rivers Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook, Wynn Interactive, Resorts World, and PointsBet, and the FanDuel Group consisting of FanDuel, Bally’s, BetMGM and DraftKings. Each of the sports betting factions aligned with one of the indigenous tribes in New York to make the application easier for the online sports betting sites.

April 2021 Success

The breakthrough for online sports betting in NY was reached in April 2021 when Governor Andrew Cuomo agreed to a budget for 2022 that included mobile sports betting. The deal would limit the number of sportsbooks and bids the state would consider, but it was the first step towards progress on sports betting. After coming to an agreement with the legislature on April 6, to allow NY sports betting, Cuomo signed the new budget on April 18, signaling the start of the countdown to legal online sports betting in the state.

2020 No Progress 

2020 was not a good year for New York sports betting, any hope for new mobile sports betting legislation out of the general assembly or the state senate in 2020 was halted by the pandemic. There were several online sports betting bills that were not introduced but instead workshopped, which ended up being the basis for what was eventually passed in 2021 with a full legislative session.  

2019 New York Sports Betting Launched 

In the summer of 2019, New York sports betting got underway as it allowed its first sports bets to be placed at its physical casino locations, mostly in the upstate areas of the state. Rivers Sportsbook in Schenectady took the first bet, and several other physical locations opened shortly thereafter. However, any hope of online sports betting in New York being part of that opening was halted when Governor Andrew Cuomo insisted on a statewide referendum to update the state constitution to legalize online wagering. 

2018 Legislation Efforts 

IIt was a rough year for sports betting advocates in New York in 2018, as both of the major legislative efforts to legalize New York sports betting never even reached the floor for a vote. At the end of the legislative session in June 2018, the sports betting bills presented to the New York General Assembly and New York Senate had nearly identical language after months of negotiation, but neither piece of legislation was ever voted upon.

The bill would have made New York the first state to include integrity fees paid to the professional leagues, something the MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL had tried hard to implement in other states. Much of that language returned in the 2019 sports betting bill in the Senate, S17, which did pass the Senate but never was voted upon by the general assembly.

2018: PASPA Overturned 

The only reason sports betting was legal at all in the United States was the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which banned any state that did not already have legalized sports gambling from passing any legislation legalizing it. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie challenged the federal law in 2012 after signing a law legalizing sports betting in the state, but after a two-year court battle, the Supreme Court failed to hear the state’s appeal.

The leagues sued again in 2015, and this time, the appeal made its way to the United States Supreme Court in a case titled Murphy vs. NCAA, named for then-New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy. On May 14, 2018, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in favor of New Jersey to strike down PASPA, opening the door for every state in the country to pass legalized sports wagering. 

2017: A5438 and S1282

In 2017, New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow attempted to challenge the federal ban on sports betting as the chairman of the assembly’s Racing and Wagering Committee. However, his legislation, A5438, as well as the partner bill in the state senate, S1282, both failed to clear the chambers due to issues with opinions drafted by the New York attorney general that referred the bills to the judiciary committees in each chamber. That was a tough setback for online sports betting in New York at the time as the state had a chance to be the leader in the fight for sports betting.

A3080 and S940 Introduced 

The same issues the twin bills ran into in 2017 occurred two years prior in 2015 when they were first introduced. There was perhaps hope for sports betting bills to garner more traction with the legislature also taking up the matter of Daily Fantasy Sports. However, the judiciary committee of both chambers again stalled on voting on the New York sports betting bill, killing sports betting when the session ended in 2016.

2013 – 2014 Voters Are Heard

In 2013, the voters in New York were heard for the first time on the question of sports betting in NY. A statewide referendum on the November ballot asked a question about a fuller gaming package centered on the construction of four casinos in upstate New York that could offer a broad range of gaming options, including sports betting. When the votes were tallied, 57 percent of voters were in favor of the proposal, and the casinos were opened by 2018, and the first sports betting action occurred a year later.

2011- 2012 Chambers Evaluate Sports Betting

In 2011, both chambers of the New York legislature considered a sports betting bill for the first time. The Senate bill, S3708, and the assembly’s bill, A10464, both advocated for horse-racing tracks and OTBs to be given permission to receive sports bets. and the partner bill in the state senate, S1282, ut “any constitutionally authorized casino facility,” something that wasn’t an option until the 2013 referendum.

2009-2010 – Betting Bill S6061 

New York’s first attempt at legalizing sports betting in the state came in 2009 with the introduction of S6061 in the New York State Senate. The legislation simply would have authorized horse racing tracks and off-track betting sites to take wagers on professional sporting events. Despite the revenue set to be allocated for tax relief, it stalled in committee.

According to the latest numbers from the New York State Gaming Commission, the state is making a lot of money from mobile sports betting in NY. The Empire State's latest numbers show NY sports betting sites had a handle of over $2.11 billion in November 2023. It was the second consecutive month that they surpassed the $2 billion mark.

The impressive numbers have continued into 2026. January saw the highest gross gaming revenue yet at $211.3 million, even though the handle dipped slightly to $1.96 billion.

As we enter the spring and summer, we can expect to see those numbers rise as the Yankees and Mets look to make a return to the World Series.

Every New York sportsbook has an accompanying mobile app for your phone, no matter your phone type. It is simple to use and bet on sports via mobile sportsbooks in New York once you sign up for an account at the sportsbook.

How do I use a NY sportsbook mobile app?

It is remarkably easy to use one of the nine New York mobile sportsbook apps on your phone.

• Download the app you want using our links and wait for it to finish installing on your phone.
• Follow the sign-up process for the app, which will ask you for basic identifying information, including your name, address, phone number and email address. It will also ask for your social security number and potentially an identification card to prevent anyone from fraudulently setting up an account in someone else’s name.
• You will then need to deposit funds into the account using various methods, including mobile banking, credit cards, cryptocurrency, and paying cash at a retail location.
• Once you have your money in your account, log in to your New York sports betting app because it’s time to find your best bet and place that first wager. Every app has a user-friendly interface that makes placing bets easy for bettors. ( Visit our betting guides page for information on how to place winning bets)

If you can think of a major North American sporting event, you will undoubtedly be able to bet on it in New York. The most popular sports on which people wager are baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer, but that list is far from exclusive. You can also wager on most combat sports, and most sportsbooks also take bets on golf, car racing, and soccer. Here are some betting guides to some of the sports and events you can bet on in New York on online sports betting sites.

Football

NFL

Without a doubt, New York sports betting starts with football, specifically the NFL. With one team in the state and two others representing the New York City metro area, there is plenty of action for New York sports bettors. In addition to the typical wagers like point spreads and moneylines, there are countless other prop bets at the NFL betting sites, including passing yard totals, rushing yard totals, and who is going to score a touchdown.

Super Bowl

The craze of going to Las Vegas to wager on the Super Bowl has come closer to home with sports betting in New York. All of the absurd prop bets that Vegas offers are also available in New York on the Super Bowl betting sites, along with the more mainstream wagers like who will win the game and how many points will be scored. Yet plenty of people still also wager on which side of the coin will win the coin toss or how long it will take to sing the national anthem.

NCAA football

There is misinformation out there that college football is not very popular in New York. However, just because there are only three FBS teams in the state doesn’t mean it doesn’t garner a lot of action. NY sports betting sites always a have bevy of games to bet on each Saturday, with the top teams almost always available to bet on, assuming they aren’t playing Army, Buffalo or Syracuse. With all of the best teams as options, and all of the bowl games each December, college football is a popular choice in New York sports betting on the NCAA football betting sites.

Basketball

NBA

Right behind the NFL in popularity is the NBA, though most New York basketball fans probably want to forget about the two local teams. NY sports betting sites have a plethora of prop bets available for NBA action, but the most popular bets on the NBA betting sites are the point-spreads and game totals, especially for the 82-game regular season where injuries and rest play a large part in the results.

NCAA basketball

It is much harder to bet on some of the best teams in college basketball in New York because there are so many talented teams in the state. However, those out-of-state matchups are very fruitful for those looking for that weekend fix in January and February once football has winded down. New York is a basketball town first and foremost, so any level of the sport is going to be a popular choice among the state’s bettors, especially on NCAA basketball betting sites.

March Madness

The only thing that can enhance the experience of sitting at home and watching the NCAA Tournament is doing so at your favorite NY sportsbooks or with your favorite New York sportsbooks app opened on your phone at home. There is a rush of money that is wagered every year on March Madness, which is no different in a college-basketball-crazed state like New York. March Madness betting sites are definitely busy every year in the state.

Baseball

MLB

For most of the year, there are at least a dozen MLB games going on, but this is a very popular play for those looking for their sports betting fix during the summer. There were a lot of reasons for bettors to hammer the Mets and Yankees in 2022 with their success, but wagering on MLB provides a better opportunity for parlays with the number of games daily on the top MLB betting sites. 

Hockey

NHL

There are three NHL teams in the state, and that makes hockey fairly popular among New York sports bettors. The success of the Rangers in 2022 and 2023 as well as the Islanders in 2020 and 2021 has given New Yorkers even more incentive to bet on the sport in recent years. Similar to football, there are many prop bets at the NHL betting sites that could catch your fancy, notably picking someone to score a goal (or two) in the game.

Golf

You can wager on the outcome of matches in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, or even bet on the new LIV Tour or the LPGA as well. The golf options in New York are not just limited to the events on the PGA Tour, so take advantage of those golf betting sites.

PGA Tour 

When people think about golf, they mostly think about the PGA Tour. Although the weekly tournaments on the tour do attract diehard fans, New Yorkers flock to bet on the four majors every year – the Masters, PGA Championship, U.S. Open, and Open Championship. Those four tournaments account for most of the golf betting handle every year, but they make watching the events more fun as well for bettors.

You can wager on the outcome of matches in the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup or even bet on the new LIV Tour or the LPGA as well. The golf options in New York are not just limited to the events on the PGA Tour, so take advantage of those golf betting sites.

NASCAR 

There isn’t a lot of support for auto racing in many northern states, but it’s still a popular market for New York sports betting, and there’s plenty of options when it comes to NASCAR betting. You can not only bet on who will win the race, but you can also wager money on drivers to finish in the top five or top 10, and even how many yellow flags will be dropped during the race. New York also hosts a NASCAR race every year at the road course in Watkins Glen.

MMA

There has been immense growth in the popularity of mixed martial arts in the United States over the last decade. That is reflected in how much money people have started betting every Saturday on the nearly weekly cards from the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). If it’s a marquee fight night, there will be millions of dollars bet by New Yorkers on the outcome of each fight on the MMA betting sites.

Boxing

There aren’t many premier fights anymore, as boxing has sort of been on the decline. But New Yorkers flock to the window to bet on boxing when those marquee brawls are on the card. There might not be as much buzz as there was when Evander Holyfield and Mike Tyson were running the show, but bettting on boxing is still very popular.

Horse Betting

Do not go to the sportsbooks expecting to find horse racing on the menu. The New York sports betting regulations stipulate that you will need to either go to the track or an approved off-track betting location due to the differences in the licenses for sports betting and horse-racing betting. Due to the gaming restrictions, there are also separate apps for bettors to use on horse betting (TVG).

DFS

After a 2015 scare involving New York suing DraftKings and FanDuel, Daily Fantasy Sports are legal in the state as of 2016. The New York sports betting bill responsible for DFS in New York, S8153, was passed 45-17. 

Only a handful of operators currently have permits to offer DFS in New York, but that includes the two big players in the space – DraftKings and FanDuel – and several smaller operators including Yahoo and FantasyDraft.

In-State College Sports Betting in New York (100 Words)

Like many states in the United States, New York sports betting has strict rules when it comes to collegiate sporting events at the online sportsbooks in NY. The New York sports betting regulations say that you are not allowed to bet on any college game that features a school from New York, all of which are listed below for your convenience. This restriction does not apply to other college sporting events in New York so you can bet on any NCAA Tournament games in the state, any college bowl games, or other regular-season tournament games in New York if the two teams participating are not from the state.

Other Prohibited Sports Betting in New York 

• High school and youth sports
• Entertainment and elections

The first step to using NY sports betting sites or sportsbook apps is to deposit money into your account. The last step is finding out how to retrieve your winnings from your account. The best online sportsbooks make it easy for you to put money into your account and just as easy to take it back out when you’re done winning.

However, be warned that it is much quicker to deposit money into your account than to withdraw it. Deposits are credited to your account almost instantaneously in many cases, but most withdrawal options take a minimum of one business day to show up in your bank account.

Here are some of the many payment methods  New York online sportsbooks offer for you to deposit and withdraw money. 

Paypal

Some online sportsbooks allow you to connect your PayPal account to the app and deposit money via the service. It is arguably the safest way to deposit money from your bank account into NY sports betting sites without giving them any banking information. You can also withdraw your money into your PayPal account if the mobile sportsbook allows you to deposit money through PayPal.

Debit and Credit Cards

This is one of the few methods that is a one-way street when it comes to your money. You are only allowed to deposit money with your debit or credit card to your New York sports betting account. You will need to find an alternative way to withdraw your money should you want to take it out of the sportsbook account. Note there are several inherent risks with using your credit card to fund your sportsbook account, so please gamble responsibly.   

ACH/eCheck through VIP Preferred

The same way you get your paycheck directly deposited into your bank account, you can transfer money into and out of your sportsbook account. This will require not only your bank routing number and the checking account number, but also information from your ID such as the ID number, expiration date, and state that issued the ID card. Similar to a paper check, this is not the best option for instant deposits or withdrawals as the money will take some time to clear your account in either direction, and be available on your NY sports betting sites.

Online Banking

Probably the easiest way to deposit and withdraw money from your New York sports betting account, all you need to do is enter your mobile banking information on a trusted third-party site, and the funds are instantly transferred. The sportsbook never actually sees your online banking information, it just sends the money via the third party and receives it as well via that third party. This is the quickest way to get your funds on a withdrawal, as most sportsbooks approve the funds within 12 hours and then send the money to your bank. Most banks take a full business day to credit your account with those funds, but it is sometimes quicker if the transaction occurs during normal business hours in your state.

Sportsbook prepaid cards

If you are afraid of giving online sportsbooks your banking information, you may be able to request a prepaid card from the sportsbook when withdrawing. It will take four-to-six weeks to receive your card, but the amount you withdraw will be placed on a prepaid card for you to use as a typical debit card. Some sportsbooks send out new cards with each withdrawal, while others are able to reload those cards with the new funds when you request the money.

PayNearMe

The other one-way method is PayNearMe, which partners with drug stores and other retail stores in your area to deposit cash into your sportsbook account. This is a tedious process for depositing money but it is good for those who don’t live close to a retail sportsbook and want to deposit into their account using cash. Each sportsbook will send you a unique QR code via email or text message that you must show the cashier. After scanning the QR code, the cashier will be able to deposit the cash you provide them into your sportsbook account. However, it will take 15-30 minutes typically for that cash to show up on your sportsbook app.

Retail locations of operators

One of the nice things about New York sports betting is that if you are fortunate enough to live near the sportsbook’s retail location, you can always deposit money into your account at the physical casino. Most of the time, you will need your phone number and a picture ID to deposit or withdraw the funds from your account. If you are planning to withdraw more than $1,000 from your account, it might be a good idea to call ahead so that the retail sportsbook will be able to accommodate you quickly.

New York Yankees

League: Major League Baseball

Founded: 1901

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Location: Bronx

Partners/ Sponsors: Bally Bet, DraftKings and FanDuel

It feels like the same bet that every year there will be a lot of money wagered on the New York Yankees. They are the definition of success in baseball, with 27 World Series championships, although they have not appeared in the Fall Classic since winning it all in 2009. A perennial playoff team, the Yankees do not rebuild, they simply reload, so they are always a great bet to make the postseason, and they are almost always among the preseason favorites to win the World Series. Their recent partnership with DraftKings for an in-stadium lounge has the potential to become one of the first active sportsbook locations in a professional arena/stadium in New York. At the moment, however, the VIP DraftKings Sportsbook Lounge at Yankee Stadium has no kiosks or retail betting capabilities.

New York Giants

League: National Football League

Founded: 1925

Stadium: MetLife Stadium

Location: East Rutherford, NJ

Partners/ Sponsors: DraftKings

Ever since the New York Giants last won the Super Bowl in 2012, they’ve been on the decline. There is a lot of optimism around new coach Brian Daboll and the team, but it will take a year or two before the Giants are again the betting favorites in a difficult NFC East. There is no doubt that the Giants will return to their proud tradition soon enough, though, and will once again command respect from the betting public every Sunday. In the meantime, they’re simply a longshot pick for any Super Bowl or playoff odds.

New York Rangers

League: National Hockey League

Founded: 1926

Stadium: Madison Square Garden

Location: Manhattan

Partners/ Sponsors: BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings

The New York Rangers might be in the midst of a resurgence behind yet another strong European goaltender. At the very least, they are now a trendy pick to win the Stanley Cup over the next few seasons. They had a disappointing end to their 22-23 season but should be in contention for the near future. We’ll see what the offseason holds for this Original Six team, but expect their future odds for next season to draw plenty of bets.

New York Knicks

League: National Basketball Association

Founded: 1946

Stadium: Madison Square Garden 

Location: Manhattan 

Partners/ Sponsors: BetMGM, Caesars and DraftKings

There is no professional sports team that keeps its fans in so much optimism and disgust at the same time as the New York Knicks. The heyday of the NBA’s premier New York franchise is long gone, and now fans are stuck with small glimpses of hope followed by the cruel punishment of crushed expectations. The Knicks have made the playoffs just once in the last nine seasons and have won just one playoff series since 99-00 when they advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals. If there is an unlucky team in professional sports, it is the Knicks, and that is never a great team to bet on at the sportsbooks.

New York Jets

League: National Football League

Founded: 1959

Stadium: MetLife Stadium

Location: East Rutherford, NJ

Partners/ Sponsors: BetMGM and WynnBet

No team in the NFL has been as constantly mediocre over the last decade as the New York Jets. They have not made the playoffs since losing in consecutive AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010, and they have won at least six games just once in the last six seasons. There has been a revolving door at quarterback, many of which were high draft picks ruined by bad coaching and bad talent around them. It felt like the Jets never wanted to properly rebuild, but that had started to change over the last two seasons. They added veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the 2023-24 season, but he suffered a season-ending injury just four snaps into their first game. Time will tell if he will be able to heal and lead the Jets next season.

New York Mets

League: Major League Baseball

Founded: 1962

Stadium: Citi Field

Location: Queens

Partners/ Sponsors: Caesars

New owners have infused new cash and increased expectations for the New York Mets, even if they have yet to be met. The Mets will also play second fiddle in the city to the Yankees, but there is arguably more to be excited about in Queens than in the Bronx. New York’s other baseball team has some dominant pitchers and exciting hitters, making them a threat for a deep postseason run over the next few years. It remains to be seen how else the Mets can surpass the Braves and Dodgers in the National League, but they are certainly giving it their best efforts to compete at the upper echelons of baseball.

Brooklyn Nets

League: National Basketball Association

Founded: 1967

Stadium: Barclays Center

Location: Brooklyn

Partners/ Sponsors: None

The Nets went all in a few seasons ago when they signed three of the best players in the league: Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and James Harden. They took a risk on pairing three stars that have had issues with their former teams, and it backfired spectacularly. They had a couple of decent playoff runs but failed to reach the NBA Finals. All three stars forced their way out of Brooklyn, leading the Nets to go from a contender to a lottery team in a matter of months. The Nets did get some pieces back in sending them away, but not nearly enough to keep them competitive. The Nets are still relatively new to New York and play second-fiddle to the Knicks, but they still draw plenty of action at New York online sportsbooks.

New York Islanders

League: National Hockey League

Founded: 1972

Stadium: UBS Arena

Location: Elmont

Partners/ Sponsors: None

The move to UBS Arena on Long Island puts the New York Islanders in the center of potentially the next sports betting hub in New York. There are plans and hopes for a casino and sportsbook in Elmont near Belmont Park and UBS Arena, so fans might soon be able to go bet on the Islanders before going to see them in person. The Islanders had two exceptional seasons under Barry Trotz, but the 2021-22 debacle led to Trotz being let go and uncertainty surrounding the team. That faded away this season as they returned to the playoffs. They didn’t last long, but fans now have much more hope for their future.

New Jersey Devils

League: National Hockey League

Founded: 1974

Stadium: Prudential Center

Location: Newark, NJ

Partners/ Sponsors: Caesars and FanDuel

The New Jersey Devils arrived in New Jersey in 1982 after leaving Colorado, and they’ve really been mostly irrelevant without Martin Brodeur in goal. From 1987-2012, the Devils missed the playoffs just three times, equaling the number of Stanley Cups the franchise won in that same span. The Devils played for the Cup on two other occasions, and most of that run came with Brodeur in the crease for New Jersey. Since playing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, the Devils have made the playoffs just once, a first-round exit in 2017-18. However, they made the playoffs in the 22-23 season and were able to win their first-round matchup against the rival Rangers. With a loaded roster, you can expect the Devils to push for another Stanley Cup title over the next few seasons.

Buffalo Sabres

League: National Hockey League

Founded: 1970

Stadium: KeyBank Center

Location: Buffalo

Partners/ Sponsors: FanDuel

The Buffalo Sabres own the longest active postseason drought in the NHL at 12  seasons since their last trip to the postseason. Buffalo has finished in last place in its division six times in those 12 playoff-less seasons and has not really been close to playoff contention since being bounced in the first round of the 2011 postseason. Buffalo had a rich history of success with Dominik Hasek and Ryan Miller as goalies in the 1990’s through the 2011 season, building on the franchise's mild success in the 1980’s. However, the lack of scoring and efficient team building has hampered the team’s rebuilding process and kept Buffalo in the cellar for so long. The team came close to a postseason birth last season, finishing just one point shy of a wildcard spot.

Buffalo Bills

League: National Football League

Founded: 1959

Stadium: Highmark Stadium

Location: Orchard Park

Partners/ Sponsors: Caesars and FanDuel

The buzz around the Buffalo Bills has never been this high, not even during their four straight Super Bowl seasons in the early 1990’s. The duo of general manager Brandon Beane and coach Sean McDermott has reinvigorated the declining franchise, and the Bills are going to be Super Bowl favorites for the foreseeable future. The combination of Josh Allen at quarterback with the skill players around him and a defense that has been among the NFL’s best the past four years makes Buffalo a dangerous team to face. After spending 17 long seasons outside the playoffs, Buffalo has been in the postseason five of the last six years and should be there for as long as Allen stays healthy.

New York Red Bulls

League: Major League Soccer

Founded: 1994

Stadium: Red Bull Arena

Location: Harrison, NJ

Partners/ Sponsors: None

The New York Red Bulls were one of the founding members of the MLS, but have never found much success in the league playoffs in more than 20 years on the field. On six occasions, the Red Bulls finished atop the Eastern Conference in the regular season, including three times leading the entire league in points to earn the Supporters Shield. However, in all six of those seasons, the Red Bulls failed to advance to the MLS Cup final. In fact, the one time New York did play for the playoff championship in 2008, it did so after earning the eighth and final playoff spot.

New York Liberty

League: Women’s National Basketball Association

Founded: 1997

Stadium: Barclays Center

Location: Brooklyn

Partners/ Sponsors: FanDuel

One of the original franchises in the WNBA, the New York Liberty is in the midst of a resurgence with superstar Sabrina Ionescu. The team wears a FanDuel patch on their jerseys and more of those jerseys have been flying off the shelf thanks to Ionescu. New York’s WNBA franchise has a proud history of success with four WNBA Finals appearances in the first six years of the league, yet they did not win the title on any of those occasions. They have qualified for the conference finals just four times since that 2002 trip to the WNBA Finals, but were able to get a postseason berth in 2022.

NJ/NY Gotham FC

League: National Women’s Soccer League

Founded: 2006

Stadium: Red Bull Arena

Location: Harrison, NJ

Partners/ Sponsors: None

NJ/NY Gotham FC is an original member of the growing women’s soccer movement in the country that has allowed the NWSL to expand in recent seasons. This was one of the founding franchises of the WPS, the predecessor to the current NWSL, and has kept women’s soccer alive and well in the New York City area for more than a decade. Several members of the U.S. Women’s National Team play their club soccer with Gotham, including defender Imani Dorsey, midfielder Kristie Mewis and forward Margaret Purce.

New York City FC

League: Major League Soccer

Founded: 2013

Stadium: Yankee Stadium

Location: Bronx

Partners/ Sponsors: None

A club in the City Football Group system that also owns Manchester City, New York City FC were the MLS champions in 2021. The Yankees also own 20 percent of the club, which is why it plays its home games at Yankee Stadium and is able to afford to pay its players top dollar. This team has been extremely competitive in MLS since beginning play in 2015, two years after its founding, and they have produced some quality players, including Leeds United’s Jack Harrison and Borussia Dortmund’s Gio Reyna.

Basketball Teams 

• Albany Great Danes (America East Conference)
• Army Black Knights (Patriot League)
• Binghamton Bearcats (America East Conference)
• Buffalo Bulls (Mid-American Conference)
• Canisius Golden Griffins (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• Colgate Raiders (Patriot League)
• Columbia Lions (Ivy League)
• Cornell Big Red (Ivy League)
• Fordham Rams (Atlantic 10)
• Hofstra Pride (Colonial Athletic Association)
• Iona Gaels (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• LIU Sharks (Northeast Conference)
• Manhattan Jaspers (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• Marist Red Foxes (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• Niagara Purple Eagles (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• St. Bonaventure Bonnies (Atlantic 10)
• St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (Northeast Conference)
• St. John’s Red Storm (Big East)
• Siena Saints (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)
• Stony Brook Seawolves (Colonial Athletic Association)
• Syracuse Orange (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Wagner Seahawks (Northeast Conference)

Football Teams 

• Albany Great Danes (Colonial Athletic Association)
• Army Black Knights (Independent)
• Buffalo Bulls (Mid-American Conference)
• Colgate Raiders (Patriot League)
• Columbia Lions (Ivy League)
• Cornell Big Red (Ivy League)
• Fordham Rams (Patriot League)
• LIU Sharks (Northeast Conference)
• Marist Red Foxes (Pioneer Football League)
• Stony Brook Seawolves (Colonial Athletic Association)
• Syracuse Orange (Atlantic Coast Conference)
• Wagner Seahawks (Northeast Conference)

There are different ways to access New York sports betting. Although mobile sports betting is the most popular way to place bets nowadays, there are still physical retail sportsbook locations in New York.

For a little more than two years, New Yorkers had to either travel to an adjacent state to bet on mobile or they had to drive to one of 11 casinos in the Empire State, all at least two hours away from New York City, to bet in person. Retail sports betting is the experience you might see in Las Vegas with constantly-changing odds boards, loads of sports on televisions as well as sheets with all of the odds listed for your convenience sorted by sport.

The road to retail sports betting in New York was difficult due to the strict gaming laws in the state. As early as 2009, members of the state legislature were trying to get sports betting approved at the horse racing tracks and off-track betting sites around the state. None of the legislation introduced into committee in the New York General Assembly or the New York State Senate ever received a vote in their committee. In 2013, the state put a referendum on the November ballot that would expand gaming in the state by approving the construction of four non-tribal casinos in upstate New York that would offer a variety of gambling action, including table games, slots and even sports betting.

That referendum on in-person New York sports betting passed with more than 57 percent approval, so New York began construction on the casinos, all opening by 2018. The only roadblock to sports betting was PASPA, a federal law restricting sports gambling laws in the United States. When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned that in May 2018, New York began preparing the infrastructure to accept sports bets at retail locations. In April 2019, the state accepted its first wager at a retail sportsbook, and the handle has only grown as sports betting has become more popular in the country.

Here are the 11 physical locations where sportsbooks are legal:

• Point Place Casino — The Lounge with Caesars Sport
• Akwesasne Mohawk Casino & Resort — Sticks Sports Book & Grill
• Del Lago Resort Casino — DraftKings Sportsbook
• Resorts World Catskills — Sportsbook 360
• Rivers Casino & Resort — Rivers Sportsbook
• Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino — Sports Lounge
• Seneca Niagara Resort and Casino — Sports Lounge
• Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino — Sports Lounge
• Tioga Downs — FanDuel Sportsbook
• Turning Stone Resort Casino — Lounge with Caesars Sports
• Yellow Brick Road Casino — Lounge with Caesars Sports

After much debate over the last decade, New York sports betting is legal sports betting both at retail and mobile locations throughout the state. Retail sportsbooks were approved by voters in 2013 on a statewide referendum on gaming expansion in upstate New York that also approved the construction of four new casinos that are not owned by the native tribes. New York sports betting launched the first retail sportsbook in April 2019, nearly a year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992, which had previously restricted sports betting laws in the country.

Mobile sports betting became a hotly-contested topic in the three years after the Supreme Court struck down PASPA. After several bills introduced in the legislature failed to advance out of committee, the New York General Assembly and New York State Senate approved mobile sports betting by inserting it into the 2022 fiscal year budget for the state. When Governor Andrew Cuomo then signed the budget into law, it kickstarted a lengthy application process for sportsbooks in the state. Only nine mobile sportsbook licenses were going to be extended in New York, and legislation is currently planned to expand that number so more online sports betting can occur in the state. However, that New York sports betting bill would not be introduced until 2023, kickstarting an 18-month process to try and get it passed.

You must be 21 years old or older to participate in New York sports betting, in order to placing a sports wager at a physical casino or on the mobile sportsbooks in NY. You must also be physically in the state at the time of placing the mobile wager, which will be checked with the use of your phone’s geo-tracking capabilities. All of the sportsbooks are regulated and monitored by the New York State Gaming Commission with every licensed sportsbook required to renew their license every five years.

Section 1367 of Chapter 47-A, Article 13, Title 8 of the New York statutes also lays out quite a number of people who are forbidden from wagering on sports in the state. No professional or amateur athlete can wager on the sport or competition in which they compete. No one who works for the New York State Gaming Commission is allowed to bet, and neither are any of the executives at a casino or sportsbook who hold a sports betting license from the state.

There are several events that are illegal to wager on in the state of New York, including any high school sporting event as well as any elections or award show ceremonies. For the purposes of most sports bettors, however, the state also bars anyone from betting on New York-based college teams, regardless of where the game is played. The good news is that any college event played in New York and does not feature any New York teams is open for wagering at the New York sportsbooks. 

Sportsbooks in New York are regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission, which oversees all gambling activities in the state. The NYSGC is the governing body that approves and distributes licenses for the mobile sportsbooks in NY, so any additional sportsbooks that would want to open in New York must first undergo a rigorous screening process with the Gaming Commission. It is also in charge of collecting taxes from the NY sports betting sites, and New York has one of the highest tax rates in the nation among legal betting states. For online sportsbooks, the state collects 51 percent of the gross gaming revenue to provide for various educational programs in New York.

Any taxes on New York sports betting winnings will normally need to be self-reported on your taxes unless you hit a certain threshold of money won and the odds of the wager. In New York, the winnings must exceed $600 with odds greater than 200-to-1 for the sportsbook to withhold the taxes for you. Otherwise, any winnings in excess of $600 must be reported with your tax rate dependent upon your income. You can also reduce your tax bill by asking your online sportsbook for a win-loss statement that should allow you to write off any losses against your taxable winnings.

In the three and a half years between the U.S. Supreme Court overturning PASPA and New York legalizing mobile sports betting, New Yorkers were spoiled. Although they couldn’t bet on sports from the comfort of their own home, there were plenty of places nearby where New York residents could go to place legal sports bets from their phones. This is especially true for New York City residents, many of whom simply took the train to New Jersey in order to wager. Even those further away from New York might not have been able to make it to one of the physical retail sportsbooks to make a bet and decided on a road trip to make some wagers.

Legalizing New York sports betting means tha residents no longer have to leave the state in order to place their bets, but it is still important that they know the rules in neighboring states should they leave New York for any reason. New York shares a border with five different states, each of which has vastly different betting laws to the Empire State. Most of the states bordering New York do have legal sports wagering, but those wanting to bet on their favorite New York college team should keep in mind the few states that have yet to legalize sports betting.

New York sports bettors must also make sure they look at their favorite apps to see which ones will seamlessly allow them to transfer their money between states. DraftKings and FanDuel allow funds to be easily transferred between accounts in different states. However, many other sportsbooks will require you to sign up for a new account in the new state.

New Jersey

The state that started the downfall of PASPA, New Jersey wasted no time in setting up legal sports betting as soon as it won the lawsuit in the Supreme Court.  New Jersey sports betting began on August 6, 2018 when DraftKings launched the first online sportsbook regulated by the state. Since that date, 15 other sportsbooks have entered the market and they offer fans of New York colleges an easy way to bet on their favorite college football and college basketball teams. New Jersey’s sports betting handle has taken a slight hit since New York launched mobile sports betting earlier this year with the loss of revenue from New York gamblers who made the short trek into the state.

Pennsylvania 

Pennsylvania joins New Jersey as one of the states offering players more gambling options than New York. Both states offer legalized online casinos and online poker, but for the sports betting fanatic, the key to know is that most of the sportsbook apps in Pennsylvania are the same company as those in New York. As explained above, you might need to sign up for a Pennsylvania-specific account at some of the sportsbooks, but you will have just as many available sports betting markets in Pennsylvania as in New York. Pennsylvania sports betting should not be an issue for any visitors from New York who may be in town to cheer on the many professional teams that share a division with Pennsylvania-based teams.

Connecticut 

Connecticut was one of the first states to look at and pass sports betting legislation, but that framework took a bit to implement. In 2017, Connecticut passed what would be the foundation of sports betting in the state, and once PASPA was overturned, the hard work began. It wasn’t until 2021 that the actual bill that filled in the details on Connecticut sports betting was actually passed. The issue was finding a resolution with the two major Native American tribes in Connecticut, the Mashantucket Pequot and the Mohegan, who both operate casinos in the state on their territory. As a result, there are just three sportsbooks available in Connecticut: DraftKings (Mashantucket Pequot at Foxwoods), FanDuel (Mohegan at Mohegan Sun), and Fanatics (the Connecticut lottery).   

Vermont

Although Vermont could choose to legalize sports betting, the barriers to change are strong in the state. The path to Vermont sports betting has been difficult, with a committee to study the idea only passing the state legislature in 2021. In 2019, there was legislation to approve retail and mobile sports betting under the regulation of the lottery, but that bill never made it out of committee. Even Vermont’s attempts to create a separate commission to oversee any gambling activities outside the lottery in the state were overwhelmingly defeated. With no professional sports teams and just one Division I institution, there is not a lot of demand for legalized sports betting in the state. 

Massachusetts

Perhaps inspired by the success of New York sports betting, Massachusetts has approved legal sports betting in the state that launched in 2023. Governor Charlie Baker signed the Massachusetts Sports Wagering Act into law in August 2022, and the state is now sifting through applications for the sportsbooks. It was a long process for Massachusetts sports betting to reach this point after multiple bills failed to gain any traction in 2019 and 2020. There was some optimism in 2021 with dueling bills in the House and Senate, but a compromise could not be reached after the House passed HB 3977. In April 2022, the Senate passed SB 2844, and that version of the sports betting bill was compared with HB 3977 to iron out the differences before Baker signed the new law.

As of the end of 2022, online casinos are illegal in the state of New York. There was an effort in February 2022 to pass legislation on the topic, but that bill, S8412, was stopped in committee during the 2021-22 legislative session. Any hope of online casinos coming to New York would require a change to the current gambling laws that would amend them to allow “online interactive gaming.” The legislature does not meet again until 2023, which would start the next 18-month clock to get New York to pass legislation on online casinos in the state, but that would require the bill to be re-introduced in the Senate as well.

UPDATE:

Two New York lawmakers have filed a bill to allow online casino gaming in the state. The bill shares close resemblance to one that was filed in 2022.

New York could potentially attract $120 million worth of taxes from online casinos. They may also adversely affect the player markets in neighboring states where online casinos are legalized. 

At USA Legal Betting, we stay up to date with all things online casino related in The Empire State on our NY online casino page.

After graduating from the University of New Hampshire with a BA in Journalism, Richard Janvrin has been covering iGaming and sports betting since December 2018. His first freelance writing opportunity was with Gambling.com. Since then, Richard has covered sports and iGaming for notable outlets such as Bleacher Report, Forbes.