Governor Andrew Cuomo said that Wednesday that he will include a call for mobile sports betting in his 2021 policy proposals for New York. According to reports in the NY Daily News, the Governor intends to get the New York lottery to run the mobile gambling industry.
This is a complete about-turn for the governor who, for years, opposed mobile wagering and argued that New York requires an amendment of state constitution to legalize the industry. However, he has watched as his neighbors – New Jersey in particular – have added millions of dollars in tax revenue from their own mobile gambling industries. Now, faced with a growing deficit because of the pandemic, Cuomo seems to have softened his stance.
The governor wrote in his report: “At a time when New York faces a historic budget deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current online sports wagering structure incentivizes a large segment of New York residents to travel out of state to make online sports wagers or continue to patronize black markets.”
Market analysts predict that gambling dollars to the tune of $837 million bled into New Jersey in 2019, and that 20% of the Garden State’s betting comes from New York City.
It’s presumed that if the Governor successfully introduces mobile online wagering, he will require that online sportsbooks partner with existing brick-and-mortar casinos.
There have been many attempts in the past to pass mobile wagering legislation, but all have been vetoed by Cuomo.
