UPDATE: New York sports betting will launch Saturday morning, with four books approved — DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars and BetRivers. This story was originally published on Tuesday and has been modified with the launch news.
The state of New York will begin accepting legal on Saturday morning.
State senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. said in late December that New York online sports betting is likely to launch “in the second or third week of January.” That timeline has been accelerated.
“There may be some operators that will be able to hit that start date. There may be some operators that will lag and that will be unfortunate for them. But to have most of the pack start at the same time is the right move,” Addabbo Jr. told XLMedia.
Nine companies were approved to operate in the state of New York back in November, which left a handful of reputable sportsbooks out of the fold, such as Penn National/Barstool Sports, as well as European shops Unibet and bet365.
Four sportsbooks will launch on Saturday — DraftKings, FanDuel, Caesars and BetRivers.
While in-person betting has been available in New York since 2019, revenue from online sports betting should be a boost for the state — after all, it’s striking a 51% tax on profits from operators; nearby New Jersey has just an 8.5% tax on in-person sports betting and a 13.5% tax for online or mobile wagers.
New York’s offering a plethora of general, betting markets — straight bets, parlays, teasers, props, and more — but bettors are prohibited from wagering on in-state college teams.