In New York, a provision in a proposed betting law could see in-person wagering at places like Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium.
According to the Associated Press as published by northjersey.com…
Democratic New York assembly member, Gary Pretlow, said that legislation he announced last week is being modified and will include the provision that would allow in-game gambling on-site unless it is strongly opposed.
“respecting the integrity of the sport“
Pretlow said, “That is one of the changes, that we would open it up to have affiliates such as Madison Square Garden, which has expressed an interest in doing this. I think it’s a great idea.”
Another Democrat, State Senator, Joseph Addabbo, said…
“To do it right, I think we need to do it in a very methodical manner. I see sports betting being rolled out over a couple of years, to make sure we do it both legally and respecting the integrity of the sport, which is very important, and protecting the consumer. And then I would suggest we do roll it out to the stadiums and other venues at some point.”
Areas to explore:
The Madison Square Garden Company said via email to the Associated Press, “There are several areas, such as on-site gaming, we’d like to explore with the State and our league partners,” according to SportsPro.
Since the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was declared unconstitutional in May last year, no arenas or stadiums in the eight states, including that have legal, state-regulated sports betting industries are running on-site betting.
D.C. approval:
On December 18 last year, the D.C. City Council gave final approval to legal sports betting, and after spending several weeks on the desk of Washington D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D), The Sports Wagering Lottery Amendment Act of 2018 was signed on January 23, 2019, making it the first U.S. jurisdiction without casinos to authorize sports books.
Unique to D.C.:
A unique arrangement, the legislation authorizes betting on professional sports at stadiums and arenas in the city, private establishments like restaurants and liquor stores, or from any location within the city using a mobile app. Under the legislation, private sports betting facilities at arenas are required to pay $250,000 for five-year licenses, while retailers must pay $5,000 for two-year licenses to allow sports betting on their sites.
The bill has moved on to the U.S. Congress where it will undergo a 60-day review before officially becoming law.
Mobile issue:
One area of contention in New York is mobile sports gambling, a feature that New Jersey offers, with DraftKings Sportsbook being the first mobile platform to launch on August 1, 2018, followed by the playMGM sports betting app going live on August 22 and others which came later.
Governor Andrew Cuomo, along with other state officials, has reportedly contended an amendment to the state constitution would be needed in order for mobile wagering to be legal. However, Pretlow told the Associated Press that he has been led to believe that Governor Cuomo has reconsidered his view.
Jersey benefits:
In neighboring New Jersey, where in-person betting is restricted to racetracks and casinos, January saw the state’s gamblers wager $385 million on sports, including approximately $305 million via mobile devices or online, according to the Associated Press.
Addabbo said, “All due respect to anybody from New Jersey out there. We’re going to do it better. And bigger. We are New York.”
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