New York prepares sports betting proposal

Lawmakers from the Empire State are considering a proposal that would allow sports betting.

New York voters approved two amendments to the state constitution, and lawmakers are considering them for next year. One of the proposals include the possibility of offering sports betting in casinos, race tracks and OTB parlors.

Democratic Westchester Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, chair of the Assembly’s Racing and Wagering committee, said: “The lawyers are looking at that right now.” According to local media, lawmakers are also investigating a way to speed up the process by considering other legal strategies in order to avoid the amendments that would take two years.

New York’s attempt revolves around New Jersey’s case against PASPA, and if the former wins the three non tribal casinos in New York could end up offering sports betting. However, under recent implementations, Indian operators could also feature sports books.

If it gets legalised, it is estimated that New York casinos and racinos that offer VLTs and OBTs would also want to participate. Michael Wilton, executive director of the state Gaming Association, representative of racinos and harness tracks, said: “We know it’s there.”

Whilst the official date to hear the oral arguments was set for December 4, the Supreme Court won’t unveil the results of the case until mid-2018. The case is primarily centered around the fact that there is a US$150 billion illegal sports betting market in the United States each year. PASPA, a sports protection act that was passed in 1992, prevents states from offering gambling lines on sports. Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana were granted special exemptions, as all four of those states were offering some variation of sports lotteries back in 1992.