The 2022 NBA Draft kicks off tonight at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn at 8 p.m. and attendees eager to place a bet on the first overall pick may be confused as to why they can’t find any selections on their preferred New York online sports betting app.
You don’t need to update your DraftKings or Caesars Sportsbook app, because New York law does not consider the NBA draft, or any professional draft, a sporting event and will not accept bets on its outcome.
However, according to one New York legislator, this could change as early as next year.
Expanded sports betting discussions in 2023
Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. (D-15), a longtime proponent of sports betting and one of the leading legislators who pushed online sports betting through the 2021 session, told Elite Sports New York he will push for expanded sports betting options (including bets on drafts) within the next year.
“This is on my radar, yes, and I intend to discuss this matter during the (2023) budget and session,” he told Elite Sports New York.
When asked if he would also push for legal future bets on player awards – such as an MVP or Rookie of the Year – he said it would likely be discussed in next year’s session as well.
New York’s definition of an eligible online sports betting event would have to be amended to allow bets on professional drafts. The current online sports betting law defines an eligible sporting event as “an event at which two or more persons participate in sports or athletic events and receive compensation in excess of actual expenses for their participation in such event.”
The New York 2023 legislative session will begin in January 2023 and run through June 2023.
Depending on when, and if, the law is eventually amended, New Yorkers could potentially bet on the 2023 NFL Draft, which will begin on Thursday, April 27, 2023.
NY one of several states banning draft bets
New York is one of six states, and Washington, D.C., to have legalized online sports betting but prohibit bets on professional sports drafts.
New York is joined by Connecticut, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Iowa with this distinction.
