First Mobile Sportsbooks in New York Set To Go Live

Four New York mobile sports betting operators received the green light to launch as soon as Saturday at 9 AM from the New York State Gaming Commission.

Per the NYSGC statement:

The NYS Gaming Commission announced today that four licensed Mobile Sports Wagering Operators – Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive – have satisfied all statutory and regulatory requirements necessary to accept and process mobile sports wagering activity and have been approved to commence operations with launch effective no earlier than Saturday, January 8, 2022 at 9 AM Eastern Standard Time.

The coming launch is sooner than expected, as the state had a loose target date of having its online sports betting industry up and running before the Super Bowl and a fingers-crossed date of the first week of the NFL playoffs. New York sportsbooks can now take advantage of the College Football Championship game between Alabama and Georgia by launching on Saturday.

The New York Opportunity

New York is expected to be the largest sports betting market in the US on Day 1 and is the most anticipated mobile betting launch since New Jersey in August 2018.

The importance of the state can be seen in the statements from the soon-to-launch entities.

Kambi CEO, Kristian Nylén:

“New York is among the most populated and sports passionate states in the US and will no doubt be one of the largest regulated wagering markets in North America, one we are both excited and honored to be playing a leading role in.”

Rush Street Interactive CEO, Richard Schwartz:

“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 10th 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.”

A Look at the First Four NY Mobile Sportsbooks

New York approved nine operators for licensure after a request for proposal process. The nine operators were part of two “super bids” headed by Kambi and FanDuel.

The Kambi-led bid comprises:

• Rush Street Interactive
• Caesars
• PointsBet
• Wynn Resorts
• Resorts World

The FanDuel-led bid consists of:

• FanDuel
• DraftKings
• BetMGM
• Bally Bet

The lucky four approved to launch this weekend includes two operators from each bid FanDuel, DraftKings, Rush Street Interactive (BetRivers), and Caesars. That said, treating each consortium fairly was likely not a factor in determining launch order.

As Ryan Butler posited on Twitter, The four operators authorized to launch – FanDuel, DraftKings, Rush Street Interactive, and Caesars – are partnered with land-based casinos in the state, which might explain how they were able to gain approval before the others. However, it’s unlikely the others will sit on the sidelines very long (more on this in a moment).

FanDue NY and DraftKings NY both have prelaunch bonuses available now to customers in New York who register an account (no deposit required). There will also be a glut of promotional offers available during the opening weekend.

Betting USA will track and update all launch promotions from the four operators on our New York sports betting page.  

When Will the Other Five NY Sportsbooks Join the Party?

The remaining sportsbooks will be approved on a rolling basis, but it is unclear precisely how long the current operators will have their first-mover advantage.

New York placed several financial burdens on operators, so playing favorites in any way will go over very poorly.

The actual timeline for launch for PointsBet (which will also power the Resorts World sportsbook), WynnBet, BetMGM, and Bally Bet likely depends on meeting the state-mandated requirement that servers are in one of the four commercial casino facilities.

Related: New Jersey Revenue Will Be Impacted When New York Online Sports Betting Launches