NEW YORK (WKBW) — During his COVID-19 briefing Wednesday New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced he supports the legalization of mobile sports betting in the state.
A proposal to legalize it will be insluded in his 2021 State of the State.
"We want to do sport betting the way the state runs the lottery," said Cuomo.
The governor said many states have done sports betting but allow casinos to run their own gambling operation, which leads to a lot of revenue for casinos and minimal for the state.
"I'm not here to make casinos a lot of money, I'm here to raise funds for the state," said Cuomo.
A release from the governor's office says:
"Under Governor Cuomo's proposal, the New York State Gaming Commission will issue a request for proposals to select and license a sports operator or platform to offer mobile sports wagering in New York. This operator or platform must have a partnership with one of the existing licensed commercial casinos. The Commission will also require any entity operating mobile wagering apps include safeguards against abuses and addiction."
Officials say the process for the bettors would be no different under the governor's proposal.
"At a time when New York faces a historic budget deficit due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the current online sports wagering structure incentivizes a large segment of New York residents to travel out of state to make online sports wagers or continue to patronize black markets," said Cuomo. "New York has the potential to be the largest sports wagering market in the United States, and by legalizing online sports betting we aim to keep millions of dollars in revenue here at home, which will only strengthen our ability to rebuild from the COVID-19 crisis."
The governor also announced his support for the legalization of recreational marijuana Wednesday, you can find more information here.
