Is Online Horse Betting Legal In New York

Can I Bet On College Sports In New York

Yes. Its legal to bet on college sports matchups as long as they dont involve teams from the state of New York and arent being played in the state of New York.

Unfortunately, for bettors in New York it is illegal to wager on any New York college sports teams, even if theyre playing on the road. This is very similar to the law in New Jersey.

You can still bet on March Madness and College Football bowl games legally.

Betting On New York Sports Teams

Starting with the NFL, there are two teams based out of New York. The New York Giants and the New York Jets. Both teams play out of New Jersey, which is somewhat comical that fans have to drive to New Jersey to watch their home-state team. The Giants joined the league in 1925 and have won four Super Bowls, with the most recent and memorable being when they delivered a beatdown to the New England Patriot as underdogs.

The Jets, however, are one of the worst teams in the NFL and have only won one championship in 1968.

When it comes to the MLB, the New York Yankees need no introduction. They joined the league in 1901 and have had some of the best players in the history of baseball suit up and make history. They have a whopping 27 World Series titles with their last one being a decade ago in 2009.

The New York Mets are the second baseball team in the state of New York. They are one of the first expansion teams in the MLB, joining the league in 1962. Theyve only won the World Series twice and are usually overshadowed by the Yankees.

The New York Knicks are a staple at Madison Square Garden, in New York City, and have quite the following in the NBA. They joined the league in 1947, and havent won an NBA title since 1973. They likely wont be winning another one soon with the NBA stacking teams like the Golden State Warriors and the Lakers.

Amendment To The Interstate Horse Racing Act Paves The Way For Online Betting

Bettors were logging online to place wagers on horse races everywhere, even in states that didnt participate in off-track betting. Online racebooks based offshore were able to undercut their regulated competitors, offering rebates on losses to keep regular bettors coming back for more.

At the time, a federal law known as the Interstate Wire Act of 1961 still held sway over gambling activities. Under the Wire Act, bettors and bookmakers were prohibited from conducting business over the telephone, as this allowed for interstate wagering. Given the use of dial-up internet connections at the turn of the century, most legal scholars and lawmakers alike viewed the Wire Act as being applicable to online wagering as well.

But with racetracks and off-track betting parlors rapidly losing financial ground to offshore racebooks, Congress sought a remedy by clarifying the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978.

In 2000, a short but powerful amendment was added to the Acts definition of interstate off-track betting, expanding the activity to include pari-mutuel wagers placed via the internet:

Wolfs opposition wasnt enough to sink the amendment, however, and it was officially added to the Interstate Horseracing Act that year.

From that point forward, there has been no doubt that playing the ponies over the internet is completely legal within the United States provided the individual state already allows interstate off-track betting.

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Mid 201: Legislative Efforts Fail

New York state legislators dropped sports betting bills in both the Assembly and Senate, but neither advanced to the floor for serious consideration. Sen. John Bonacic and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow championed bills in their respective chambers that would have legalized sports betting throughout the state, including mobile and online wagering.

It also would have directed a so-called integrity fee to sports leagues the first state to bow to the leagues demand for such a cut.

Other Horse Races And Horse Betting Options In New York

Horse racing and betting on the races has been legal in New York for more than a century. Aside from a brief period in the early 1900s, it has been available throughout most of the states history.

Today, New York is home to some of the most prestigious racetracks in the country and boasts one of the countrys largest racing industries. Belmont Park is home to the Belmont Stakes, the third and final leg of the Triple Crown. Saratoga Race Course hosts the Travers Stakes each year.Aqueduct Racetrack has been open since 1894 and is the only racetrack within the city limits of New York City.

Beyond those three locations and other racetracks in the state, there are more than 100off-track betting locations available for players to use. Off-track betting locations are small venues or bars where you can place horse bets and view the races. Although they dont offer the full experience that youd get at a racetrack proper, they still give the opportunity to bet on New York races and races around the country.

As is the case with all gambling in New York, the New York State Gaming Commission regulates horse racing in the Empire State. Any concerns or disputes that you have with a New York horse betting outlet should go to this agency.

It is possible that you might get confused when you see a listing for the New York Racing Association. Despite its official name, the NYRA is the nonprofit owner of the Belmont, Saratoga and Aqueduct racetracks. It is not a regulatory agency in any way.

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New York Legal Online Sports Betting Tax Rate

The state of New York takes it right off the top with the highest tax rate off the gross revenue of any state 51%. Thats a whopping cut compared to some of the other places nearby Pennsylvania clocks in around 36% and New Jersey approximately 13%.

According to State Sen Joseph Addabbo, Albanys take will fund new jobs, education, youth sports, and programs to help combat addiction.

Is Online Horse Betting Legal In Other Countries

Many of our EZ Horse Betting readers dont live in the US. They live in places like the UK, Hong Kong, Australia, or even Japan where horse racing is very popular. Betting is also popular in these locations, and in all of them it is legal to make bets online on horse racing.

Now, there are some things that you should be aware of before you decide to make that first online horse bet overseas. In Hong Kong, for example, all online horse betting falls under the jurisdiction of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. It is not legal to bet with bookies, and online racebooks that offer Hong Kong race betting must be approved by the Jockey Club.

You can watch and wager on horse racing from Japan with many online racebooks. The same can be said for horse racing from Canada and the UK. Thats one of the great things about online racebooks. They put the entire world of horse racing right at your fingertips. Just fire up your computer or tablet and you are good to go.

It should be said that the attitude toward horse racing and betting on horses in many parts of the world is different than it is in the United States. Many countries embrace all forms of gambling as a type of harmless entertainment that can be enjoyed by anyone that is of legal age.

You should always check the regulations of the area in which you live. It pays to do your due diligence before you risk doing something illegal.

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How New York Sports Betting Compares To The Other Legal States

New York took their time to do this right. By this time next month, New Yorkers will have their pick of nine operators, encouraging a high level of competition for the available sports betting revenue. Players dont have to sign up in person to play, just open a website or app. The biggest barrier of entry into the market for the operator seems to be that 51% haircut on the revenue. Best of all, the varied betting markets and promos available across the books give limitless options. Its a bettors paradise, as long as you dont want to bet on US football.

Is Online Sports Betting Legal In New York

Yes. Online sports betting was approved by the state legislature in April 2021. The first wave of licensed sites are expected to live before the Super Bowl.

The New York Gaming Commission approved nine licences to sportsbooks to operate online in November 2021, and online sports betting is set for a launch in the very near future.

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Online Horse Racing Betting In The Usa: Whats Legal

One of the most widespread legal gaming opportunities in the US is online horse betting. There are quite a few states with land-based horse racing tracks. This creates a natural tie-in between betting on the races live at those tracks and betting them online at a horse betting site or mobile app.

Pari-mutuel wagering is the primary way to bet on horse races. Different betting options form different money pools at individual tracks. When betting a horse race online, bettors can tap into live odds based on those various betting pools.

Any legal betting option at a track running a live daily race card is also legal through a site or app.

New York Sports Betting Background

New York technically legalized retail sportsbooks as part of a voter-approved casino referendum in 2013, before the Supreme Court struck down the federal wagering ban in 2018.

The states first sportsbooks opened their doors in 2019 but generated a small fraction of the handle from statewide mobile wagering markets in neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania as well as a growing number of other states. Thats why the industry has eagerly watched New Yorks statewide mobile rollout, a process that should conclude by early 2022. Officials are projecting more than $1 billion in gross gaming revenue and $500 million in tax revenues annually, but reaching those lofty goals will not come without substantial work.

Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who championed the 2013 amendment that allowed for four upstate and three downstate casinos, largely resisted online sports betting. After facing dwindling revenues and rising costs from the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Cuomo unexpectedly embraced mobile sports betting in January 2021.

However, Cuomo opposed a competitive sports betting model similar to New Jerseys that would have allowed the states commercial and tribal casinos to partner with multiple online sports betting brands. He instead backed a government-bid model similar to the system in New Hampshire, arguing it would generate more revenue for the state.

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States Where Online Horse Betting Is Legal

Fortunately, the list of locales where online horse betting is banned is quite short compared to the 39 states where the industry is legal:

• Alabama

• Wisconsin
• Wyoming

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As you can probably tell by scanning the long list of state-specific restrictions, regulating online horse betting is quite complex. States can legalize or criminalize interstate off-track betting at any time, while individual racetracks can formulate their own property-wide policies.

The result for horse racing enthusiasts is a constantly shifting legal landscape, one where your favorite track can be listed on a major online racebook one day, before vanishing into the ether shortly thereafter.

Another Stalled Year In Ny

The COVID-19 pandemic quickly ended whatever hope existed for New York sports betting reform in 2020. Legislators again attempted to convince Gov. Andrew Cuomo to include updated sports betting language in his state budget to no avail.

With the state legislative session upended by the pandemic, more pressing matters took priority. New York suffered its worst days of the pandemic in spring 2020, when the legislature typically is accomplishing its normal business.

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Retail Sports Betting Vs Mobile Sports Betting

For most people, sports betting is a fun leisure activity that adds a little extra spice to the experience of watching their favorite sports or teams.

That sense of excitement is there if you have to attend a retail sportsbook in person to place your wager.

However, it is hard to deny that the growth in popularity of mobile betting in recent years has added considerably to the ease and convenience of placing a wager.

Rather than having to leave your home, you can now enjoy sports betting without leaving your armchair. Sports betting apps are so sophisticated, with such a keen focus on streamlining the customer experience, that it is hard to imagine how much easier it could be to place a wager.

As newcomers to online sports betting, New York fans will almost certainly soon be able to enjoy that convenience legally for the first time.

It is also easy to access bonuses and promotions when sports betting on your mobile device. And the ease of betting means you can place a wager more quickly, which makes betting on live events a more attractive proposition.

Mobile betting is an enhanced wagering experience delivered to your personal mobile device – no wonder there is great anticipation over the imminent launch of mobile sportsbooks in New York.

Finger Lakes Race Track 5857 Ny

Finger Lakes Race Track is a thoroughbred horse racing track located in Farmington, New York. The track is home to the New York Derby, a restricted race for three-year-old horses who have been bred exclusively in the state of New York. Finger Lakes is also the site for other major New York horse racing races such as the New York Oaks and the Niagara Stakes.

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History Of New York Legislative Efforts

With neighboring New Jersey and Pennsylvania having dramatically expanded legalized gambling in the past year, New York has every incentive to do the same, lest its gambling revenues be seized by other states. Nevertheless, New York has struggled to pass legislation that will legalize online gambling statewide.

The New York narrowly missed approving online gambling in 2017 before taking the issue up again this year. The New York State Senate passed a bill to legalize online poker last year and the year before, but the bill failed to clear the New York Assembly. The lower house does not have the support for online betting that is currently found in the upper chamber. The Senate had passed the bill with overwhelming support in previous years. Yet the Assembly has not even brought the bill up for a vote. In order to pass the bill, 76 votes are required in the Assembly, and support was just short of that number. After passing the bill twice, the Senate did not bring the bill for a vote in 2018, ostensibly waiting for the Assembly to support online gambling.

Tax Rates In The Empire State

Even as legal books, it wont be a lucrative market for most operators because of the 51% tax rate on profits imposed by the state. Keep in mind, nearby New Jersey has an 8.5% tax for in-person sports bets and a 13% tax for online and mobile sports bets.

NY’s aggressive tax rates limit the upside for operators, but the market is large

However, because of the massive population, cultural significance to the sports landscape and the hope that the tax rate will decrease to 35% with 13 total operators in the mix, major books have wanted to be a part of the market from the beginning for its long-term potential.

In an April 2021 reporton the state’s fiscal budget, Thomas P. DiNapoli, the state’s comptroller, asserted that the state is expected to generate $1.2 billion in gambling revenue within the next few years despite restrictions.

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How The Uiega Exemption Helped To Keep Online Horse Betting Legal

Between 2000 and 2006, internet gambling transitioned from an emerging concept into a multibillion-dollar industry.

Chris Moneymaker parlayed a PokerStars qualifier into $2.5 million at the 2003 World Series of Poker Main Event, while online sportsbooks like Bodog were rapidly expanding their reach to compete with Las Vegas legal action. And for millions of players from coast to coast, online casinos offered a quick and easy alternative to making that annual sojourn to The Strip.

Fortunately for the online horseracing industry, however, the prodding of lobbyists combined with a few sympathetic legislators representing racetrack-dense districts combined to create a carveout in the UIGEA.

The following passage from the UIGEA specifically exempts horseracing from the Acts prohibition of online gambling:

INTERSTATE HORSERACING. IN GENERAL. The term unlawful Internet gambling shall not include any activity that is allowed under the Interstate Horseracing Act of 1978 .

To strengthen that passage, Congress included a separate entry outlining the bodys sense on how online horse racing should be treated separately than other forms of gambling:

Thus, while online poker players, sports bettors, and casino game enthusiasts saw their favorite pastime criminalized by the UIGEA, online horse bettors were in the clear.

RULE OF CONSTRUCTION REGARDING PREEMPTION. Nothing in this subchapter may be construed to preempt any State law prohibiting gambling.

Horse Racing Betting Promotions For New York State

Amwager, horse racing betting site for NY, offers a 100% match bonus on first online horse bets.

Advance deposit wagering, which enables NY residents to bet on horse races online or via the telephone, is legal under New York law, and most major ADW racing sites offer the service to New York. Fixed-odds horse betting may come to New York in 2021.

Historically the Empire State limited gambling in the state to tribal casinos and pari-mutuel wagering on horse racing, a state lottery.

In 2013, however, voters approved an amendment to the New York constitution that allows Las Vegas-style casinos in the state and the state Gaming Commission has so far granted licenses for resort gaming destinations in Sullivan, Schenectady, Seneca and Tioga counties.

New York has a long history of thoroughbred horse racing, dating back to the establishment of historic Saratoga Race Course in 1863.

The track in Saratoga Springs continues to conduct one of the finest and most popular meetings of the year each summer, highlighted by the Travers Stakes, also known as the Midsummer Derby.

New York also still offers live thoroughbred racing at: Aqueduct racetrack in Ozone Park Belmont Park, home of the Belmont Stakes, the third race in the Triple Crown series, in Elmont and Finger Lakes in Farmington.

Off-track Horse Racing Betting Venues in New York

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