Mobile sports betting can start in New York on Saturday

Wanna bet? Well, put your money where your phone is.

Mobile or online sports bets can be placed in New York beginning Saturday morning, the state Gaming Commission announced Thursday.

That means bettors could place wagers for the last week of regular season games for the National Football League and certainly for the upcoming playoffs and Super Bowl the biggest American sporting event.

The Gaming Commission said four licensed Mobile Sports Wagering Operators Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive have been approved to accept sports bets after 9 a.m. Saturday.

All four operators said they will accept wagers Saturday.

Caesars has bankrolled a TV ad blitz to alert New Yorkers its primed to play mobile sports bookie.

We are excited to finally be able to offer millions of passionate New York sports fans the top rated DraftKings mobile and online Sportsbook, said Jason Robins, CEO, co-founder and chairman of the board, DraftKings.

New York expects $10 billion in sports betting each year, with the nearly $1 billion in expected profits split between the state and the operators.

New York has already received $200 million in license fees from mobile sports operators and the companies have agreed to pay a 51 percent tax on gross revenues a split that far outpaces the take in most states where online sports betting is legal.

Proponents of mobile sports betting said theyre thrilled New York will have the program up and running well before the Super Bowl.

Until now, New York state gamblers could only place wagers at upstate casinos, an inconvenient trek for many downstate residents. Many city residents simply set up mobile accounts and cross the Hudson to place phone bets in neighboring New Jersey.

Finally I can stop biking over the [George Washington Bridge] on Sundays and take a bet over the phone. I know this will make my girlfriend happy, especially when I win. said 28-year-old Matt Lane of the Lower East Side.

But critics worried sports phone betting will create a generation of gambling addicts and destroy lives.

This smells trouble for New Yorkers with addiction issues, I just hope people are careful and dont blow through their weekly paychecks, said Jen Sharpe, 31, a Lower East Side residentwho works in marketing.

DraftKings promised to conduct background checks to screen for people making big wagers to make sure they are not betting above their means.

This is great timing. Its a win for the state of New York, said state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Queens), chairman of the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee.

Mobile sports betting will generate additional revenue for the state including for education and it will create jobs.

He also said there will be $6 million in annual funding for gambling addiction programs.

This is good news. Its definitely good timing. We said we wanted mobile sports betting to start before the Super Bowl. Were ahead of schedule, said Assembly Gaming and Wagering Committee Chairman Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon).

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Mobile sports betting can start in New York on Saturday