New York straddling the line of online gambling

Online gambling has been left hanging in the balance in New York, after the state legislature was adjourned for the next year. However, progress has been made, as legislators were finally able to get its proposed legislation onto the desk of Governor Andrew Cuomo where the bill was signed, putting New York sports betting licensees in position to start accepting sports wagers by the beginning of the NFL season in August.

Frustratingly for those in the state, the fate of a proposed online and mobile sports gambling bill and yet another online poker and casino bill will now meet with a different fate. These were left without resolution and it therefore necessitate the introduction of new bills when the legislature reconvenes next year. As a result, any online gamblers in New York will now have to wait until the second quarter of 2020 to find out when they will get the chance to use the gambling platforms that they love.

The industry in New York has faced no real moment since legislature was first introduced in 2017. There are several issues why the industry keeps facing frustrating stops and starts.

First of all, it is not even clear if online gambling will ever be allowed in the state, as there as some questions over the constitution. The assembly would first have to introduce and pass an amendment to the constitution in order to avoid any possible ligation from outside interest like Tribal casinos. Even if the legislature were to undertake this process, it’s not clear if they could get both the amendment and online gambling legislation passed in the first six months of next year.

If the legislature were to push through the amendment, there’s still a chance that there will be an issue, as Governor Cuomo has previously shown disdain for online gambling. In previous instances he intervened in debate to express his reluctance.

One thing is very clear, both sides of the debate are ready to resume their debate when business does return to normal.