Online Sports Betting’s N.Y. Debut: $2.4 Billion in Wagers in 5 Weeks – The New York Times

As of Friday, New York had already taken in some $78.5 million from that tax almost all of which goes to fund education far more than the $49 million that the state budget office initially estimated it would receive in the first three months of 2022. That estimate has recently been increased to $110 million, and the state also collected some $200 million in license fees from operators.

Its our first month, ever, and were at $2 billion, said State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., a Democrat from Queens who serves as the chairman of the committee on racing, gaming and wagering. Its amazing. The astonishment of these numbers: Its incredible.

And new options for gambling may be on the way. Last week, the New York Yankees president, Randy Levine, expressed support for a betting kiosk at Yankee Stadium, following the lead of other professional sports franchises. Such a plan would be part of a broader expansion of wagering into stadiums, racetracks and arenas, something that Mr. Addabbo and his Assembly counterpart, Gary Pretlow, a Westchester County Democrat, are seeking to legalize this year in Albany.

The pair, Mr. Addabbo said, will also be pushing for an expansion of new brick-and-mortar casinos with on-site betting parlors something backed by Gov. Kathy Hochul, another Democrat, with many developers clamoring to put a casino in New York City.

Part of New Yorks big debut stems from its size; of the 20 states now allowing residents to gamble on their phones, New York is the most populous, with potentially larger players like Texas and California still sitting on the sidelines.

But the demand for betting in New York is undoubtedly intense: Roughly a quarter of the nations mobile bets on the Super Bowl came from inside the state, according to Sportshandle.com, citing analysis by GeoComply, a Canadian geolocation security firm.

New Yorkers are passionate sports fans and have been active sports bettors, said Bill Miller, the president of the gaming association. They just didnt have a legal option. And now they do.

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Online Sports Betting's N.Y. Debut: $2.4 Billion in Wagers in 5 Weeks - The New York Times