I thought the Supreme Court made sports betting legal. So, why wasn’t New York sports betting legalized then?
The Supreme Court voted to dismiss the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, or PASPA, in May 2018. Thus, the decades-long federal ban on sports betting in the US was no more.
The key factor is that the demise of PASPA simply meant that each state could determine its own path when it came to sports betting. That said, legal sports betting was finally made law in New York and first went live at Rivers Casino & Resort on July 17, with more venues following shortly after.
When will New York legalize sports betting?
If you want to get technical, it already had, years ago. New York voters approved a referendum to legalize sports betting back in 2013.
Of course, until PASPA went away in 2018, nobody could act on the law. New York regulators did not promulgate any rules for operators because it would’ve been a waste of time.
So, now that things have changed, that’s exactly what they’ve been working on. With the recent publication of the rules, sportsbooks began to unroll in New York’s commercial and tribal casinos.
Should I just bet with one of these online sportsbooks I see all of the time?
We wouldn’t recommend it. Those sportsbooks operate offshore, meaning that their company practices are not subject to any kinds of US laws, rules, or regulations.
So, in the case of any disputes with them, a US player would not be able to find the same legal protections he or she might want. It could prove quite difficult to achieve any sort of resolution with one of these companies.
Can I play fantasy sports for real money in New York?
Yes. All major fantasy sports operators are available in New York.
However, don’t get too comfortable with it. There is quite a bit of legal wrangling at play over DFS in the Empire State.
The New York General Assembly legalized fantasy sports play in 2016. However, a legal challenge resulted in a New York Supreme Court decision that ruled the law to be unconstitutional.
So, technically, the state of New York has no regulatory oversight for DFS. However, the state is appealing, so DFS play continues unabated for now.
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