The New York State Gaming Commission has issued approval to nine mobile sports betting operators, whose revenue within the region will be taxed at a rate of 51 per cent.
The ten-year licenses, which have a $25m fee attached, were issued to a pair of applying consortiums, one of which, led by FanDuel, includes Bally’s, BetMGM and DraftKings.
A second group, which was also one of two submissions spearheaded by Kambi, featured Rush Street Interactive, Caesars, Wynn, Resorts World and PointsBet.
Regulators, who deemed that licenses will not be granted to Penn National, bet365, theScore Bet, Fox Bet, and Fanatics, are expectant that gamblers will be able to place bets by next year’s Super Bowl NFL showpiece which is slated to take place on Sunday 13 February at California’s SoFi Stadium.
RSI praised a “momentous occasion” after being issued with its green-light, as well as asserting delight at proceeding through a “very thorough bidding process”.
“New York is a crown jewel market with more than 20 million residents which, upon launch, will become the largest online sports betting market in the United States,” explained Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI.
“Moreover, it is home to some of the most passionate sports fans in the nation. We look forward to bringing our award-winning online gaming platform and customer service to New York, deepening our roots in the state and region, and creating an omnichannel experience for sports bettors that we have successfully executed upon across the country.”
Elsewhere, Bally’s looked forward to its “latest milestone” amid continued US expansion, with Soo Kim, chair of the group’s board of directors, noting: “Bally’s is pleased to have been awarded an online sports betting license from the state of New York — the most populous state to enable OSB — and would like to thank the New York State Gaming Commission for including Bally’s in this exciting endeavour”.
Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO, explained: “Today’s news of being recommended by the New York State Gaming Commission marks an exciting moment for us at PointsBet.
“Having the potential to secure market access to New York state – expected to be one of the largest and most important markets in the United States –represents another major milestone for our company, our brand, and our technology.
“We are thankful to the Gaming Commission for this recommendation and believe it speaks volumes to PointsBet’s reputation and ability to deliver an unrivaled, world-class experience.
“We eagerly await the official opportunity to leverage our exclusive sports betting partnership with NBC Sports and introduce the nation’s premier sports betting product to the countless passionate, sports-loving New Yorkers.”
Elsewhere, WynnBet suggests that New Yorkers “represent a significant portion of the Wynn Las Vegas and Encore Boston Harbor databases,” and that the group “look forward to giving those customers more ways to earn and use Wynn Rewards. We also look forward to meeting and engaging with new customers in the state via WynnBet”.
Tom Reeg, CEO of Caesars, commented: “We’ve been looking forward to the opportunity to bring mobile sports betting to New York. With more than 19 million people, New York will be the biggest mobile sports betting market in the country, and we feel we are uniquely positioned to bring an incredible product to that market.”
