Cuomo Backs Lottery Format For Online NY Sports Betting Again

• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo wants mobile sports betting to be run through the state, just like the lottery system.
• Cuomo believes that mobile sports betting could bring New York $500 million in tax revenue.
• The New York Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering passed bill S1183 on Tuesday.

NEW YORK – New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has doubled down on his assertion that the mobile sports betting market when legalized should be run by the state. This comes on the heels of a budget shortfall in New York due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuomo presented the Fiscal Year 2022 budget for New York and began talking about the potential of sports betting in New York at the 22-minute mark in his address.

Cuomo wants New York to get most, if not all of the revenue generated from legalizing mobile sports betting and stated he prefers the market be run similar to the lottery system.

“The second alternative is to have the people of the state of New York get the profits from mobile sports betting and run it the way we run the state lottery, which is its state-run and the state gets all the revenue. I’m with the people. And I believe the people of the state should get the revenues. This is not a moneymaker for private interests to collect just more tax revenue. We want the actual revenue from the sports betting.”

Cuomo’s proposal could cause a political stalemate between him and state legislatures down the road, which could hold up the process of bringing mobile sports betting to New York.

Before Cuomo made his address, the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering passed Senate Bill S1183.

The bill proposed by (D)Sen. Joseph Addabbo of the 15th State District would legalize mobile sport betting in New York by having online sportsbook operators tether to a retail casino. This format is used throughout the country and is used in New Jersey.

This bill will now go to the desk of New York’s Senate finance committee headed by (D)Sen. Liz Krueger, who has opposed sports betting before.

New York is missing out on millions in revenue simply by not legalizing mobile sports betting. According to a press release by Governor Cuomo, nearly 20% of New Jersey’s sports betting revenue comes from New York residents.

Nonetheless, with one of the largest populations in the US, New York could be a behemoth in the burgeoning US sports betting market, and lawmakers in the state know this.

“New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis,” said Cuomo in a release just two weeks ago.

Although it seems like New York legalizing mobile sports betting is inevitable, the process is still far from over until the lawmakers in the Empire State can agree on who gets the revenue and how many operators will be in the market.

Cuomo doubling down on his stance sets the stage for what could be a lengthy political battle.

News tags: Andrew Cuomo | mobile sports betting | New York | Online Sports Betting | Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo | Sen. Liz Krueger