The New York State Gaming Commission has approved four mobile sports wagering operators, namely Caesars, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive, to commence sports wagering operations from no earlier than 9am on Saturday 8 January.
The regulator adds that each licensee named has satisfied all statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to accept and process mobile sports betting activity, and have subsequently been approved to commence operations.
After the aforementioned date, each licensee will determine when to accept wagers, which the NYSGC says will be based upon its business capabilities and readiness.
It is added that the remaining five licensees, which encompasses BetMGM, Bally’s, Wynn, Resorts World, and PointsBet, will continue to work towards satisfying statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to launch and will be approved on a rolling basis when they are met.
Upon issuance of the ten-year licenses, which have a $25m fee attached, in November 2020, regulators deemed that permits would not be granted to Penn National, bet365, theScore Bet, Fox Bet, and Fanatics.
DraftKings, which has previously opened a 6,000 square-foot retail sportsbook in Waterloo’s del Lago Resort and Casino, has expressed its delight at the group’s imminent debut within the Empire State.
“As a longtime Boston sports fan, I can personally attest to countless fiery rivalries against various New York teams, and that passion is what makes these fanbases so special within this globally revered sports entertainment mecca,” commented Jason Robins, CEO, co-founder and chairman of the board at DraftKings.
“We are pleased to bring new levels of access and immersive engagement to New Yorkers with the arrival of mobile sports betting. A special thanks to Governor Hochul, Senator Addabbo, Assemblyman Pretlow, the New York Gaming Commission along with the tireless efforts of our dedicated DraftKings team.”
Elsewhere, RSI’s entry into the region, whose revenue will be taxed at a rate of 51 per cent, issued thanks to the NYSGC “for its professional and efficient support” as the group prepares to go live this weekend.
Richard Schwartz, CEO of RSI, noted: “The long-awaited launch of online and mobile sports betting in New York – the largest online sports betting market by population in the United States – is here, and just in time.
“With the college football championship game on January 10 and NFL playoffs approaching, and the NBA and NHL seasons in full swing, in addition to countless other sports and betting options available for play, fans have endless entertainment at their fingertips at BetRivers.”