New York Betting Laws
Historically, New York betting laws have been fairly restrictive, primarily due to New Jersey’s Atlantic City presence and the shared revenue from supporting that interstate project. However, as the New Jersey commercial gambling scene has faltered over the last several years, New York betting laws have changed to reflect the reality that fewer and fewer New Yorkers are making the trip over the bridge. Thus, legal New York betting was opened up in the Empire State itself, with residents voting in 2013 to allow Las Vegas-style casinos to operate inside its borders.
The primary laws concerning gambling in New York are covered in the state’s constitution. First, § 5-401 of the New York General Obligations Laws defines illegal gambling as “[a]ll wagers, bets or stakes, made to depend upon any race, or upon any gaming by lot or chance, or upon any lot, chance, casualty, or unknown or contingent event whatever.”
The New York Penal Code further defines what constitutes unlawful gambling in the state in § 225.00 et seq. As written, “[a] person engages in gambling when he stakes or risks something of value upon the outcome of a contest of chance or a future contingent event not under his control or influence, upon an agreement or understanding that he will receive something of value in the event of a certain outcome.”
Despite the seeming blanket ban on gambling in the state, New York has managed to carve out a healthy, vibrant betting industry for itself over the years. Commercial and tribal casinos are allowed in the area, including Class III facilities. Horse racing betting is legal in the state (though dog racing is not), as is off-site pari-mutuel wagering. New York also operates a state lottery, and bingo is legal. On the social side, private gambling is legal in NY provided that it’s undertaken in an environment where there is no “bookmaker” or “house take” involved. Essentially, New York’s gambling scene offers everything that Las Vegas is traditionally known for, except for one thing. And it’s a big one: sports betting.
Unfortunately, even though New Yorkers finally voted to fully open up the casino industry inside the state, they weren’t actually able to establish any legal New York sports betting there. As the most popular form of gambling in the world, US sports betting is still “officially” limited to Nevada as part of a federalized monopoly on the activity.
That said, New York is – on the whole – dedicated to the cause of legalizing sports betting for its residents. Not only is the word “sports” completely unmentioned in all of NY’s legal language re gambling in general, the state is explicitly supporting neighboring New Jersey in its various current attacks on the federal laws that preclude state’s rights to regulate sports betting. From the Supreme Court challenge of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA, 1992) to the legislative debates surrounding the legalization of sports betting for all, New York is consistently in the trenches fighting the good fight with its fellow pro-gambling states. However, such judicial and legislative approaches tend to take a long time even when immediately successful, and that leaves a lot of New Yorkers in a sort of limbo when it comes to legal New York betting on the various popular sports in the area.
Thankfully, there is an easy workaround for folks who want to bet on sports in New York without breaking the law. Some might call this a New York sports betting loophole, but it’s not; there are no semantic or logical gymnastics required to establish the precedent involved for folks who want to legally bet on sports in NY. If you live in the Empire State and want to bet on your favorite teams without risking your livelihood or freedom, all you need to do is sign up at a legal online sportsbook and enjoy all your NY sports betting over the Internet.
Since they’re based on the Internet and operate out of countries outside of US legal jurisdiction, legal New York sportsbooks are only a click away (and quite a lot more convenient than dealing with a law-breaking local bookie). This setup works so well because all the major federal anti-gambling laws (the Wire Act, PASPA, UIGEA) are designed to address and go after those who accept bets, not those who place them. As such, these laws simply make bookies and physical sportsbooks illegal in New York, but they do not outlaw the actual act of gambling on sports.
If you want to bet on sports in NY, you have literally hundreds of online sportsbooks for legal New York betting to choose from. However, the vast majority of these are sketchy at best, and it’s a far better strategy to go with a company that’s been there from the beginning. The New York sports betting services offered by brands like BetOnline, SportsBetting, and 5Dimes are your best bets, as these players have been around since Internet-based sports betting shops first arrived on the scene. Each offers top-tier customer service, new member bonuses, and action on just about every game you can imagine. Not even Las Vegas sportsbooks can match what these online services offer, as every single NY sports team is represented. Even better, dedicated mobile betting portals mean that you can wager on the home team no matter where you are. If you’re interested in legal New York sports betting, you should definitely sign up at one – or all three! – of these online New York sportsbooks.