New York Senator, players will still head to New Jersey

A prominent New York Senator, Joseph Addabbo Jr, has issued raised concerns that the state needs to implement sports betting in order to stop millions of dollars bleeding over state lines. The Chair of the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee believes that until mobile gambling is implemented, millions of dollars will continue to be lost to its bordering state of New Jersey.

The Senator, who attended the launch of New York’s first sports betting lounge, argues that retail sports betting is a step in the right direction but does not believe that it will be enough. In fact, he argues that it will do nothing to stop his constituents from traveling across state borders.

“MY constituents are 150 miles away from these casinos. They would sooner go to New Jersey, just out of convenience. They have told me so; they said it’s nice to have sports betting at New York casinos, but they would rather go to New Jersey,” he stated.

In May, Kip Levin, the COO of FanDuel and Lindsay Slater, the VP of Regulatory Affairs at GeoComply, both spoke at a hearing of the Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee. At this hearing, they stated that 25% of New Jersey’s sports wagers game from residents of New York state.

With New Jersey eclipsing Nevada’s sportsbook handle for May, that meant roughly $79m of the Garden State’s sports betting revenue came from those living in New York.

Addabbo is eager to stop this trend and believes online sports betting is the way to do so.

He said: “We’re watching tens of millions of dollars go across the border to New Jersey and I keep telling the Governor’s people we have illegal activity going on here that we aren’t regulating – mobile sports betting.

“For our government to not regulate illegal activity is a missed opportunity.”