Legalisation of Online Gambling in New York Faces Another Setback

Legalisation of online gambling in the New York state has faced another setback as the lawmakers trying to include Internet gaming into the state budget have failed in their attempts. This means that now those that want to see online gambling legalised in New York would have to rely on passing a stand-alone solution, something that has failed several times in the past.

The removal of online poker and sports betting from the Empire State budget is happening for the third consecutive year. Thus, many are annoyed because New York has been known as a state that is considering legalisation of online gambling, but the progress, so far, has been very slow. The two main reasons for this frustrating situation seem to be the complicated regulations in the state as well as the lack of full support regarding the issue.

State Senate Tried to Include iGaming in the Budget

Reports reveal that the New York Senate tried to include iGaming into the budget and pass regulations through the side door. However, this didn’t work out as the Governor Andrew Cuomo and the Assembly weren’t persuaded that the sector belongs into the state budget after tall.

According to insider info, the issue is mainly within the Assembly, where lawmaker Gary Pretlow is considered a wild card for now. He is the chairman of the Committee on Racing and Wagering, meaning his guarding the gates for any related laws regarding these segments. In the past, Pretlow has tried to introduce some online gambling regulations himself, but none of those have managed to advance through the committee.

The lack of the support in the Assembly, however, is compensated by the strong support of the Senate and Senator John Bonacic. This chamber has already passed a number of standalone iGaming bills. Nonetheless, their efforts didn’t prove successful as controversial items always seem to be removed by the Assembly and the governor.

Sports Betting Overshadows Online Gambling

In the past few months, it seems that sports betting has overshadowed online gambling as a top topic in the Empire State. Namely, all states are preparing for the announced US Supreme Court ruling regarding a New Jersey sports betting case, that could pave the way for sports betting for all of them, New York included.

In case the federal prohibitions become more relaxed, it is very likely that New York will be among the first states to regulate sports betting. After all, the state already boasts with a law on bookmakers, but there is much more additional work that has to be done to make the topic acceptable for stakeholders. Plus, there’s lots of pessimism because of the slow or even non-existent progress regarding other types of online gambling such as online casino games.

Nonetheless, if a positive decision comes from the Supreme Court, which is expected to make a ruling in the next two months, sports betting may quickly be legalise in a handful of states. Many of the have already passed suitable laws, which remain inactive until the ruling is announced.