Bettors firing up their apps for the launch of New York online sports betting this past weekend hoping to risk some money on the Syracuse Orangemen or the Binghamton Bearcats (go SUNY) may have been surprised to see their absence.
New York sports betting prohibits users to place wagers on in-state colleges, even if they’re in a contest outside of the state. However, New York online sports bettors will be able to place wagers on tournaments held inside the state, just as long as it doesn’t include a matchup with an in-state college.
NY Online Sports Betting Limitations Not Going Away
And as Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. told Elite Sports New York, this limitation isn’t going away anytime soon.
“We’ve had no discussions on changing this. The intent was always to protect New York college players. So, you can still bet on college teams, but it just can’t be a New York college team. That will be for the foreseeable future to protect the New York college players,” Addabbo said.
If a New York college had reached the College Football Championship, state bettors would be prohibited from wagering on the game. However, if the championship was held in New York and didn’t include any New York colleges, it would be fair game for all bets.
The allowance for wagers to be placed on tournament games held in New York should soothe some of the sting from the in-state college betting ban. March Madness games are scheduled to take place in New York in four out of the next five tournaments.
Addabbo Jr. did say the online sports betting program would be reevaluated later in the year, but did not commit to saying the in-state collegiate sports betting ban would be included in the reevaluation.
NJ Voters Shot Down Initiative To Remove Restrictions
New York’s limitation on in-state collegiate betting are less restrictive than neighboring New Jersey. The state also prohibits wagers on in-state colleges in the name of safety for its collegiate athletes, but also prohibits wagers on collegiate tournaments taking place in state that don’t feature in-state colleges.
Voters in the Garden State turned down an initiative on the 2022 November general election ballot to allow betting on in-state colleges.
State residents voted down the ballot question to permit betting on in-state colleges and events. 57% of the votes were against the question while 43% approved the initiative.
