WATCH: iGaming Bill Doomed This Year At New York Legislature, Senator Says
With the legislative session winding down in Albany, a bill to legalize online casino gaming in New York is not expected to receive a committee hearing or a floor vote in either chamber, dooming it for now, state Sen. Joseph Addabbo told Gambling.com.
“We could pass it in the Senate, we could pass it in the Assembly and then the governor would probably not sign it,” Addabbo, D-Queens, said. “So I'm not going to waste anyone's time here.”
In a wide-ranging video interview on Gambling.com’s “The Edge,” Addabbo, who chairs the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee, discussed online casino gaming, known as iGaming, and other key gambling issues. Those issues include prediction markets and taxes on sports betting operators.
VIDEO: iGaming, Prediction Markets, Sports Betting Taxation And More
Addabbo On Gaming Issues
In the video interview on “The Edge,” here’s what Addabbo said about key gaming issues:
Online Casino Gaming (iGaming)
“It's not a question of if we're ever going to do (iGaming). It’s a question of when.”
"I'll continue to push it every year, but I am not going to be the only one. And everybody understands that we don't have iGaming in New York because Governor Hochul doesn't want it at this point."
Prediction Markets
"Listen, lawsuits are nice, makes some lawyers very busy, but the bottom line is the better thing to do than to ban is to regulate. If we were to regulate prediction markets in New York, we would do business with other entities in a legal manner. So the entities win, the state wins because we do it. ... Then the residents of New York win because they got a safe product now. They don't have to be in the shadows."
"Every year that goes by that we don't regulate prediction markets gives me more ammunition and more data and more justification to regulate it in New York."
Prop Bets
"My personal opinion is I would not want to ban prop bets. We are surrounded by states that already offer prop bets. It would be another reason for New Yorkers not to bet in their own state or to go to another state."
Note: The legislative session is set to end June 4. Any bill, including those dealing with casino gaming and sports betting, must be approved in the full Senate and Assembly before going to Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, for her consideration.
In an email to Gambling.com on Monday, May 11, Hochul spokesman Gordon Tepper told Gambling.com the governor "will review any legislation that passes" both legislative chambers.
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