By No betting market in the United States is as lucrative as New York. Here you have a state with a huge and affluent population, plus a devotion to sports of all kinds. This creates the perfect cocktail for arguably the best sports betting state there is today.
Here’s your complete guide to betting in New York. We’re telling you everything there is to know — the best sites to use, legal updates, tips, and more. Give us five minutes of your time and you’ll leave here a far more informed bettor ready to attack the NY market!
Is Sports Betting Legal In New York?
Sure is! It launched in January 2022 (online betting at least) to extraordinary success. In about two years time, it’s become the biggest sports betting market in the country — a gap that’s only growing by the day as New Yorkers rush to throw money into sports. We’ll dig into the exact revenue numbers a little later on.
New York offers both retail and mobile betting. Retail casinos are located in Upstate New York, but make no mistake about it, the apps are the biggest draw for city folks who never even think about going up north to a casino. The state will soon have eight licensed apps once ESPN Bet officially gets up and running in New York. In that topic, let’s compare and contrast these bookmakers in the next section.
International Online Sportsbooks Available In New York
New York has established a robust legal sports betting framework, but it’s important for bettors to understand the limitations that come with state-regulated sportsbooks. While you can place a wide range of bets on professional sports, New York sportsbooks cannot accept wagers on political events or entertainment props. Additionally, there are restrictions on betting involving in-state college teams like Syracuse University and the University at Buffalo. These regulations can restrict your options, especially if you want to wager on local college events or specific niche markets.
This is where international sportsbooks become a valuable resource. Offshore platforms provide the freedom to place bets on political outcomes, access a full array of college sports without restrictions, and explore unique betting markets that aren’t available through New York's regulated sportsbooks. If you're eager to engage with local college sports or political events, international sportsbooks can significantly expand your betting possibilities.
Safety is a common concern when it comes to offshore betting, but the international sportsbooks we recommend have been thoroughly vetted for security and reliability. Our team has used these platforms for years, ensuring they deliver prompt payouts, fair treatment, and excellent customer service. By choosing these trusted offshore operators, you can enjoy a more diverse betting experience while feeling secure about your funds and personal information.
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Legal Online Sportsbook Available In New York
West Virginia has fully embraced online sports betting, with the sportsbooks listed below offering a variety of online wagering options. In contrast, other states with legal but limited betting often restrict it to in-person locations like casinos, making it harder for bettors to participate. While local sportsbooks exist, these limitations often encourage users to turn to the international platforms we recommend, where they can enjoy greater flexibility and fewer restrictions.
| Name of Bookie | Launch Date | Online Betting Available? |
| DraftKings | Aug. 2019 | Yes |
| FanDuel | Aug. 2019 | Yes |
| BetMGM | Jan. 2020 | Yes |
| Caesars | Aug. 2019 | Yes |
| BetRivers | June. 2022 | Yes |
| Fanatics | 2023 | Yes |
| ESPN Bet | Nov. 2023 | Yes |
| WynnBet | Nov. 2020 | Yes |
| Bally Bet | July 2022 | Yes |
New York Online Sportsbook Comparison
Perhaps the biggest challenge for New York-based bettors? Picking a sportsbook to bet at. It’s not an easy choice when all the major operators are in the state and throwing free play at ‘em. That’s why we wanted to lend a hand. We’ve personally tried all these apps, and here’s who stands out the most to us.
Best sportsbook for betting options: We were about ready to call this one a tie because most of the apps are extremely competitive in this category. For the most part, they offer the same types of bets. But… we think FanDuel wins here by the slightest of margins. This is mainly due to their penchant for “boosting” odds for promotion purposes. It’s what they’re known for and bettors can get well-priced lines out of it.
Best sportsbook for live betting: DraftKings gets the nod on this one. We write this after the bookmaker acquired Simplebet to strengthen its live betting feature — which is already world-class, mind you. Simplebet offers technology built around in-play and microbetting. Expect this purchase to result in more live betting markets and fast ones too. The lag between live odds and a game will be almost nonexistent.
Best sportsbook for bonuses: New York apps don’t have the best bonuses — not when the state has a 51-percent tax rate (more on that later). This is why Caesars' promotion stands out. While other apps are offering a few hundred dollars, Caesars initial bonus goes up to $1000. It’s a “risk free” bet cause a bettor can get their first bet fully refunded up to that amount if they lose. If they win? Well, they just made a buck with zero downside. Not a bad idea to get in on a deal like this.
Best sportsbook for rewards: While the other categories are quite close, we can confidently say BetMGM is best for rewards — and by a mile too. What we especially love about BetMGM Rewards is it can carry over into the physical world. Unlike DraftKings or FanDuel, BetMGM has actual casinos all over the world. That means you can use your sports betting rewards to get rooms, dining, and entertainment on them. Doesn’t get much better than that!
Best sportsbook for user experience: Another razor-close category, but we’re giving the edge to FanDuel. Think about it: would FanDuel be the number-one used bookmaker in New York and the United States in general if it didn’t offer a killer user experience? Of course not! FanDuel’s app is as good as it gets, folks. Fast, easy to use, well organized, aesthetic — it checks all the boxes needed.
New York Quick Facts
| Fact | New York |
|---|---|
| Launch date: | 2022 |
| Legal age: | 21 Years Old |
| Online sports betting | ? Yes |
| Number of licenses | 8 |
| Remote registration | ? Yes |
| Retail sportsbooks | ? Yes |
| Retail casinos | ? Yes |
| Online casino sites | ?No |
| Online poker | ?No |
| Betting on college sports | ? Yes |
| Betting on esports | ?No |
| State population | 20M |
| State regulator | NYS Gaming Commission |
| Last verified | ? August 30 |
What You Can’t Bet On In New York?
Regulating New York sports betting has been a net positive, but don’t get it twisted, it’s still called regulation for a reason. They don’t just all bettors to put money on anything and everything. Here are a few things that are off-limits for New York bettors:
Politics: That’s right — no betting on the U.S. presidential election or any other countries election for that matter. It’s a bummer too because these days, politics feels like a sports rivalry more than anything else.
Award shows: It’s become popular to wager money on award outcomes for the Grammys and Oscars. But this is not open to New York bettors. Regulators only take money on actual sports — not non-sports which award shows fall into.
WWE: Justin because WWE is scripted doesn’t mean you can’t bet on it. Yes, it’s true — but not in New York. Here’s another thing categorized as non-sports. But here’s where you can bet on WWE and other outcomes outside the world of sports.
Even beyond New York, regulators disallow this type of betting across every state. That means only offshore sportsbooks take bets on politics, entertainment, WWE, and more like-minded things. You can read our latest online sportsbook reviews to get a lay of the land — they remain good options for NY bettors despite licensed apps now existing.
Who Can Legally Bet In New York?
Enough about what you can’t do, let’s talk about what you can do in New York. Here’s a quick overview of the betting situation in the Empire State:
Legal age: 21 years old — this is the minimum age for sports betting across the country.
Mobile betting: Yes, mobile betting is what’s driving most of New York’s revenues. You can bet on a licensed or offshore app anywhere within state borders.
Retail sportsbooks: It doesn’t get much love, but physical sportsbooks do in fact exist in the state. Not only exist, but readily take in bets. You’ll have to visit one of the casinos to do so.
Remote registration: Some states force users to register in person BEFORE they’re allowed to bet on mobile. Not New York. You can sign up to use a betting app on your phone or computer, and get accepted — all remote.
Taxable winnings: New York has a reputation for being big taxers, and it’s not necessarily wrong. Gambling earnings are supposed to be doubted as regular income — which is taxed depending on your income bracket. No way to get around this one.
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New York Sportsbooks & Casinos
By our last count, there's a whopping 36 casinos in the Empire State — mostly in the north part of the state. We're not going to name them all, but here's a few casinos that got into sports betting early on and who they partnered with to do so:
- Del Lago Resort and Casino in Seneca County, partnered with DraftKings Sportsbook
- Resorts World CatSkills in Sullivan County, partnered with Bet365 Sportsbook
- Rivers Casino in Schenectady County, partnered with Rush Street and Kambi Group
- Tioga Downs in Tioga County, partnered with BetFair US and FanDuel Sportsbook
There are several sportsbooks at tribal casinos around the state of New York too, including these ones:
- Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort, partnered with FOX Bet
- Point Place Casino partnered with Caesars Entertainment
- Seneca Allegany Resort and Casino Seneca
- Buffalo Creek Casino Seneca
- Niagara Casino Turning Stone Resort and Casino partnered with Caesars Entertainment
- Yellow Brick Road Casino, partnered with Caesars Entertainment
New York Sports Betting Timeline
New York actually legalized betting early on — just not in the manner you think. Here's a small timeline of what happened in the state post-PAPSA:
Physical Books Become Available First
Technically speaking, New York sports betting was legalized in 2013, for in-person bets at least. However, it wouldn't be until 2019 that they were able to take bets in. The market size wasn't big this way, but it wasn't impossible to bet in-state.
Mobile Sports Betting Goes Live
The floodgates opened in January 2022 when mobile betting launched in the Empire State with seven licensed apps. They also went live with a nation-high 51-percent tax rate, which angered operators, but delighted the state budgets!
How To Bet On Sports In New York?
New York is a sports state. You’ll find fans and bettors of every single sport across state lines. But make no mistake about it, the most popular sports to bet on are the usuals, which we cover below:
How To Bet On Football In New York?
Football reigns supreme here and all of America for that matter. Sure, the local teams get the most betting attention, but New York City draws transplants from across the world, who bring their own rooting favorites with them.
How To Bet On Basketball In New York?
Basketball is the second-most bet-on sport in New York. Of course, the NBA is the go-to option — except in March. That’s when March Madness takes over the national spotlight, and the bettors follow. Almost every single sportsbook rolls out special promotions during the NCAA Tournament so look out for those to get great deals!
How To Bet On Baseball In New York?
The money-making opportunities in baseball are simply off the charts. If there’s one sport a New York bettor should master to maximize profits, it’s this one. MLB has multiple games almost daily from April to October so the betting opportunities are always there for the taking!
How To Bet On Fighting In New York?
New York City is a city of fighters, which trickles down to their own interest in professional fighting — UFC, boxing, and more combat sports of that nature. Once in a while, those big-time fights are even held in town at Madison Square Garden or Barclays Center. Those are extra fun to bet on in-state.
Betting On New York Sports Teams
New York City has the distinction of having two professional teams in every major American sports league — MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL. This makes for tons of betting opportunities with the local teams alone. Here’s how to capitalize:
Betting On New York NFL Teams
Here you got the Giants and Jets, who ironically play their games in New Jersey — not New York. Make no mistake though, the G-Men are the A-team in the city that have more interest. With all these leagues, there’s always one team that’s more followed than the other as we’ll get into.
Betting On New York NBA Teams
The Knicks still hold New York’s basketball heart, even with their recent struggles under James Dolan. But hey, just because the Knicks aren’t good doesn’t mean bettors can’t profit off their mediocrity. The city’s B team is the Brooklyn Nets — probably because they’re originally from Jersey, not New York. Even a short stint with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irvine wasn’t enough to get the Nets any respect locally.
Betting On New York MLB Teams
We’d argue the Yankees are New York’s team more than anyone else. You can’t beat their history and success — 27 World Series. Poor, Mets, it’s just impossible for any franchise to rival the Yanks. It doesn’t help the Mets have a bad reputation for underachieving, which goes against the city’s ethos of unchecked ambition and success.
Betting On New York NHL Teams
The Rangers are the preferred team in New York, while the Islanders are a distant second. But the hate for the Islanders is a New York thing in general. Most of the city has something against Long Island, which is the most conservative borough in NYC.
Betting On NCAA Teams
We’ll be honest, New York schools aren’t really known for their athletic prowess. Most of the state’s prestige comes from Ivy League or private universities — not sports. Regardless, there are some programs worth calling out.
Syracuse is probably the first one that comes to mind. They were at one time a powerhouse program in basketball, but that level of success has been hard to sustain as of late. The same could be said about St. John’s while we’re at it.
New York Betting Revenue Statistics
It didn’t take long for New York to become the undisputed king of betting. In July 2024, they became the first state to hit $4 billion in sportsbook revenue — in the post-PAPSA world. It did it in only two and half years, while other states went live much earlier than that.
In 2024 alone, New York hit the $1 billion mark by the end of June. But here’s the kicker: since New York taxes sports betting at 51 percent, they keep the lion's share of this revenue — $517.1 million in tax revenue this year through June. And all this is before the NFL season starts which is where the big money is in. What’s the saying, “it’s good to be King?” Yeah, that’s New York betting right now.
Other Types Of Betting In New York
Sports betting isn’t the only gambling allowed in New York. So too is casino — however, it’s only in-person at the casinos up north. There have been attempts to legalize iGaming, but those efforts have fallen. But there’s at least political interest which bodes well for a future where New York bettors can gamble online.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) is also allowed inside the state. Back on 2016, when DFS first took off, New York actually passed a law to legalize it — at the same time other states were questioning its legality.
Horse betting is also synonymous with New York. This state features some of the most famous tracks in the world — Belmont Park and Saratoga Race Course, for instance. You can either head to a local track to bet or do so online. The state puts no restrictions on thoroughbred racing.
Sports Betting Rules In Each State
We have in-depth betting guides for every state in the United States. Here’s our directory. Feel free to click around and get the lay of the land in other states:
Responsible Gaming In New York
We’ve spent this entire guide endorsing betting in New York because it’s fun — or it should be fun at least. But it would be irresponsible of us not to mention gambling can NOT be fun, and instead become a crippling issue.
But here’s the thing: many bettors never realize their relationship with gambling is going off the rails. That’s why we wanted to mention a couple of tell-tale signs of irresponsible gambling:
- Betting more than you can afford to lose
- “Chasing” losses by betting more
- Downplaying or outright lying about your betting activity
- Use gambling as an “escape”
- Borrowing money to gamble
- Feeling guilt or shame about betting habits but continuing to do it anyway
If you find yourself even doing one of these things, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a step back. Sometimes getting away from gambling is the best way to come to your senses. But if that doesn’t work, then the issue could be more deep-rooted. And if so, professional help might be needed. The good thing is resources are available to assist problem gamblers. Here are three worth reaching out to me in a time of need:
Gambling Addiction Support Network (https://www.gamblingaddictionsupport.org/)
A non-profit organization providing resources and support for individuals struggling with gambling addiction.
Center for Responsible Gaming (https://www.centerforresponsiblegaming.org/)
The Center for Responsible Gaming (CRG) is a research institution dedicated to promoting safe gambling practices and addressing gambling-related issues.
24/7 Gambling Support Line (https://www.gamblinghelponline.org/24-7-helpline)
A round-the-clock helpline offering immediate assistance and guidance for those experiencing gambling-related problems."
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