Why Is New York Trying to Legalize Online Gambling So Hard?

Legal legislation regarding online gambling in the US varies from state to state. While online poker, casino games, sports betting, and lottery are legal in some places, still, others have not accepted them. One such state where online gambling is not permitted yet but is gaining traction is New York. 

For the longest time, gambling has been restricted in New York. The state is historically known to have some of the strictest gambling laws in the country. In fact, the New York gambling law has an elaborate list of gambling offenses and their penalties. 

For that reason, New York is not big on casinos. In recent years, however, there have been steps to try and legalize gambling, in particular, online gambling within this state. 

What Do New York Regulations Say About Online Gambling?

In reality, the New York gambling law does not explicitly outlaw its residents from participating in online gambling. So, any person residing in New York may play online games in online casinos, poker rooms, and sports betting sites without worrying about facing prosecution or being fined by the government. 

What is illegal, however, is running an online gambling platform within the state. Therefore, most online casinos that offer their services to New York residents are located offshore. 

The online casinos operating within the state have diverse offers. Case in point, some provide players with a comprehensive set of games while others are more specific, solely focusing on, for example, poker, sports betting, and so forth. 

As time continues to pass, New York residents can be sure that there’ll never be short of choices. With each day, more and more casinos are started to meet the increasing needs of the ever-rising number of online gamblers.

Therefore, New Yorkers must do their due diligence ahead of playing at an online casino. It is particularly essential up until proper regulations are put in place. After all, the UK has already shown this to be possible by strengthening its online gambling checks in a bid to make it safer and fairer.

Some of the things to look out for in this regard include quality, customer care, and the license of operation. With that said, let’s take a look at a significant development in gambling regulations in New York over the past year. 

2019 New York Online Poker Bill

On January 9, 2019, Senator Joseph Addabbo, Jr. sponsored the Senate Bill 18 aimed at legalizing online poker within the state. At that time, it was the seventh consecutive year for the New York legislature to deliberate on a poker bill. The underlying message is the recognition of specific interactive poker games as activities that require skills rather than luck.  

Push to Legalize Online Gambling in New York

While there is no telling if New York will authorize online betting – an activity with the probability to bring in a lot of money – the Gaming Commission has already provided its formative approval. The leadership holds the view that authorizing online betting will call for a change in the constitution.

This endeavor is bound to take up a lot of time, seeing as any change will require passage by two independent legislatures and people’s approval via conducting a referendum. In light of these developments, it is safe to conclude that such a thing can only be realized in 2021 at the earliest. And as you can already tell, gambling stakeholders are not happy with this idea.

Therefore, going into the future, we can expect New York to legalize online gambling. However, for the time being, the best action for New Yorkers interested in betting is to wager at an online casino. But even with that said, one should always consider only casinos with high recommendations to ensure their secure playing.

When it comes to betting events, once online gambling is legalized in New York, you will be able to wager on pretty much any professional or major collegiate sporting event. However, betting on political outcomes and other cultural occurrences, the winner of this season’s “The Voice,” or the coming Democratic presidential primary cage-match, will not be acceptable.

Also, it is important to note that players under the age of twenty-one are prohibited from betting. However, this doesn’t correspond to a low number of potential players. According to the Center for an Urban Future, New York’s older adult population is booming statewide.

New Jersey’s Success Story and Its Influence on New York

Ever since 1992, Nevada has been the state in the US with an unrivaled monopoly on betting parlors. Nonetheless, since then, other states have legalized sports betting, among them the state of New Jersey. This was achieved after years of pushing by the state’s lawmakers.

Citizens within the borders of New Jersey can now place wagers online, in addition to being free to bet in casinos and at racetracks. But even with that said, while New York is taking the right initiative when it comes to online gambling, the state is still yet to pass a regulation that delivers New Jersey’s expensive offerings.

As seen on OnlineCasinoGems, when it comes to success stories, Bovada casino, which started way back in 2011, has grown to become one of the most sought-after gambling sites in New Jersey. Since that time, it has become a reputable and reliable source of taxable income to the state. 

Putting It All Together

While online gambling is still outlawed in New York, there is notable progress being made. The 2019 New York Online Poker Bill, for instance, is excellent evidence of this slow but sure shift towards allowing online gambling in the state.

Seeing as New Jersey has already realized success in this matter, it is safe for New York legislators to follow suit by legalizing gambling. Only this way, they can stop the money from its residents from moving into New Jersey and other states where online gambling is accepted. According to The Wall Street Journal, New York stands to gain $48 million from fully legalizing online betting.

 

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