- Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. has introduced a bill, SB S7536, that would permit mobile sports betting operators to accept wagers on horse races.
- The bill would allow up to nine qualified sports betting operators to accept bets on horse races, and currently sits in the Senate Rules Committee.
ALBANY, N.Y. - With the launch of New York’s online sports betting industry still a month or two away, one New York Senator has already submitted a bill, SB S7536, that would expand the industry to include horse racing.
Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. introduced the bill, which currently sits in the Senate Rules Committee.
If passed, SB S7536 would allow up to nine qualified online sports betting operators to also accept bets on horse races. The bill would also allow operators to partner with certain affiliates to provide self-service betting kiosks.
The affiliates are defined in the bill as any “off-track betting corporation, professional sports venue, or franchised/licensed race tracks.”
Horse racing was high on the priority list for Sen. Addabbo, who was also a leading figure in the overall regulation of the online sports gambling in New York.
“If someone on one of our apps can bet on the Nets, Knicks, Rangers, whatever team they want, and also horse racing at Saratoga, it will give the New York consumer a better product. I think integrating horse racing into mobile betting will be a very high priority for me,” Addabbo said previously.
The bill lists several justifications within its text: “As the law is written, a wagerer would not be able to place a fixed-odds bet through a mobile sports wagering operator on a horse race. This legislation would enable mobile sports wagering providers to offer that opportunity. Additionally, this legislation would create additional opportunities for affiliated organizations to offer opportunities to participate in this gaming activity. These changes are expected to result in billions of dollars of tax revenue for the State of New York.”
If passed, the online gambling bill would take effect on the 90th day of 2022, which would be April 1, 2022.