Will New York See Mobile Sports Betting For NFL Season?

New York mobile sports betting could go live before the Super Bowl in 2022.
The announcement for sportsbook bidders that have made the cut in New York is in December.
Oral presentations for sports wagering operators to make their bids to the New York State Gaming Commission will begin September 1.

NEW YORK – New Yorkers were elated when they heard of regulated mobile sportsbooks coming to the Empire State months ago, but they may not get to New York in time to see any NFL betting for the upcoming 2021-2022 season. The initial plan was to have mobile sports gaming platforms go live for the football season or at least during the season, but delays have now led the market to shoot for a possible Super Bowl launch in 2022 if that.

Mobile sportsbooks became an addition to the regulated sports betting industry in New York in April. Since then, a number of rules and regulations have been holding up the rollout of a market to eager sports bettors statewide.

What’s Next For Mobile Sports Betting Progress In New York

Rather than a January 2022 deadline for operator bids as was previously stated, Monday marks the new deadline for interested sports gaming businesses to put in their bids. There will be a minimum of two operators that will be working out of the Empire State with two platforms apiece for a total of four mobile sportsbooks. The New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) will go over all of the bids for those wishing to enter the regulated sports betting industry of New York.

The NYSGC has an elongated month on its calendar for going over applicants to approve them as eligible operators for the next step which is oral presentations that will start on September 1. New York sports betting could have mobile platforms launch as early as mid-NFL season to as late as beyond the Super Bowl.

Lawmakers are hoping that the NFL season, any part of it, is able to make it into the mix of mobile applications for the state to be able to see how well these platforms can do during prime sports gaming season. However, the deadline that the NYSGC has for who will receive licenses is December 6. They can use up all of the time given to them or they can move at a quicker pace to get a launch of mobile sports wagering in New York to occur prior to the NFL postseason.

The draft of the Request For Applications (RFA) released by the NYSGC went more in-depth than in previous versions. However, the tax part, while better explained, is still a bit confusing in its language. Taxes will receive scores. Bidders put in tax rates on the handle and a 50% tax rate is worth 20 points. If a bidder applies with a 49.99% tax rate, they only receive 15 points. In general, a higher point score will win the bid and it’s been said a number of times that Governor Andrew Cuomo would like to see at least 50% of the revenue made through mobile sportsbooks.

What’s Coming For New York

Should the NYSGC take all the time given to them, the Super Bowl in February 2022 is a likely launch date for mobile sports betting applications to go live in the Empire State. With such a huge chunk of revenue wanted by New York, sports betting operators may not want to apply at all. However, Cuomo sees a future where a 60/40 cut on revenue to be what’s in store for the market. It’s with this split that New York projects seeing over $500 million in yearly revenue from mobile sportsbooks but it’s a hefty hit for interested operators to take.

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Christina Monroe

Christina has been writing for as long as she can remember and does dedicated research on the newly regulated sports betting market. She comes from a family of sports lovers that engage in friendly bets from time to time. During the winter months, you can find Christina baking cookies and beating the entire staff at Mario Kart…the N64 version of course.