The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the state of New York hard, but it also might lead to a more natural path for mobile sports betting to come to the area. New York lawmakers are again exploring this issue, and they believe that they have much more support this time around.
New York is staring at a massive budget deficit for the next fiscal year, and they are trying to come up with ways to bring in new revenue. The state already has sports betting, but legalizing mobile sports betting could bring in a ton of new revenue.
Governor Andrew Cuomo believes that a change would be needed to the state constitution if mobile sports betting were to become legalized. Other lawmakers are also questioning the amount of money that mobile sports betting would bring in.
Several big names in the betting industry have offered their support for the legalization of mobile sports betting, and professional sports leagues have done the same. A bill has yet to gain any traction, but that hasn’t stopped lawmakers from exploring the issue yet again.
12 Commercial Casinos Remain Closed
All 12 of the commercial casinos in the state of New York remain closed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and there is no timetable for that to change. Governor Cuomo does not believe that casinos are essential businesses, and he believes that they need to remain closed.
Tribal casinos throughout the state can reopen their doors as they don’t have to follow state rules and regulations. Some of these tribal casinos have opened their sportsbooks, but the state is still seeing a considerable revenue loss.
Hope For New York City?
Lawmakers are hoping that they can expand gaming in New York City as a part of this deal, but that remains to be seen. Currently, all of the sports betting options are several hours away from New York City, and most customers aren’t making the drive.
The hope is that three more commercial casinos will be allowed to open up in the New York City area, and these locations would also be able to offer sports betting. The Aqueduct Racetrack and the owners of the race track at Yonkers are both onboard and are hopeful that they can be a part of expanded gaming.
Mets, Yankees in the Mix
The New York Mets are just 3-5 to start the 2020 season, but FanDuel Sportsbook still likes their chances to win the NL East. FanDuel has the Mets at +230 to win the East, which is slightly behind the Atlanta Braves at +220.
The Yankees entered Saturday with a record of 5-1, and they have the best record in the American League. The Yankees are huge favorites to win the AL East at -300, and they are also favorites to win the World Series.
FanDuel Sportsbook has both the Yankees and Dodgers as co-favorites to win the title this season, with their odds listed at +400. Bettors can get the Mets at +2000 to win the World Series.
