Addabbo: It's obvious, New York needs mobile sports wagering

New York State suffered another sports betting setback this month as New Jersey’s sports betting numbers increased from September to October, while New York’s sports betting gross revenue actually dropped over the same period, and according to State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. the reason is clear: mobile sports betting.

According to numbers provided by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, the Garden State took in $46.4 million in sports wagers in the month of October, an increase from $37.9 million in September. By contrast, New York — which does not allow for mobile wagering — brought in $2.2 million through sports wagering in October, a 4.4% decrease from the $2.3 million earned in September, according to numbers from the New York State Gaming Commission.

“It is beyond frustrating to see New Jersey and other neighboring states that allow mobile sports betting continue to pass us by as their revenue increases and knowing a portion of that revenue is from our residents using mobile devices to bet in those neighboring states,” Addabbo, the Chair of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming and Wagering, said. “It is crystal clear that not allowing mobile sports betting in our state prevents New York from reaching its full potential. We could be making tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the state per month, with a large percentage of that money going directly to educational funding, while also addressing the illegal sports betting activity in the state. Instead, we are allowing revenue to escape to other states, while barely matching our month-over-month numbers here. I hope to see New York adopt mobile sports betting in 2020 so we can get our fair share of this booming industry.”

The Senator also pointed out that in a recent report for the month of September, New York ranked last in terms of revenue when compared with the other 12 states that have legalized sports betting. “It’s extremely disappointing to see New York ranked last, knowing we have the required means to fully compete and surpass other states. We can maximize our revenue, realize true job growth, increase our educational funding and deal with the illegal activity in our state by implementing mobile sports betting,” he added. “As we have witnessed with October’s actual gaming figures, without the mobile component, New York is not reaching its attainable potential and cannot be considered as a serious, legitimate participant in the sports betting market.”