New York iGaming Legalization Remains Years Away, Key Lawmaker Says
New York State Assemblymember Carrie Woerner, who chairs the Assembly's committee on racing and gaming, told attendees at The Racing and Gaming Conference in Saratoga Springs on August 12 that she does not expect the state to legalize online casino gaming anytime soon, describing its prospects as "perpetually five years out."
Woerner, a Democrat representing Round Lake, made the comment during an iGaming-focused panel at the conference.
As chair of the committee central to advancing any iGaming legislation in New York, her assessment carries particular weight for an industry that has repeatedly discussed the state as a likely next market to legalize online casino play.
Conference Poll Points To A Smaller Pipeline
During the same panel, a poll of the more than 200 attendees asked how many US states would offer iGaming within the next five years.
Most respondents answered between 10 and 20, a range that Gambling Insider's on-the-ground reporting from the conference noted would mean as few as two or three additional states joining the seven currently licensed for online casino play, plus Nevada for online poker.
Data cited from established markets such as New Jersey and Pennsylvania has previously shown iGaming revenue surpassing online online sportsbook revenue in those states, a trend that has fuelled industry expectations of wider legalization.
Woerner's comments suggest that expectation is not shared by the lawmaker overseeing New York's path to any such legislation.
