Aaron Judge
Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

Additional online operators, a reduced tax rate, and more betting options are all a possibility for New York online sports betting within the next year or two.

Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. recently spoke with Elite Sports New York and said all of these changes will likely be discussed as proposed improvements for New York online sports betting during the next legislative session.

Additional NY operators to be discussed?

Currently, only nine sports betting operators are licensed for the Empire State and New York features one of the highest sports betting tax rates in the entire country at 51%.

“We can always make the product better for New Yorkers. Do we do this by adjusting the tax rate? Incorporating other operators? Other bet types? This is all on my radar and we should talk about all of this in our next session,” he said.

The numbers so far have been “outrageous” for New online sports betting, Addabbo said, but he hoped others in the legislature would be keen on looking at certain changes to help improve the product even more.

Expanding operators, potentially decreasing the tax rate, and including NASCAR, horse racing, and other betting events such as the NBA draft would only improve New York’s online sports betting product, he said.

This would not be the first time the state has discussed additional online sports betting operators. A bill proposed by Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow to expand the number of New York online sports betting operators and reduce the state’s sports betting tax rate was not included in this year’s state budget.

Pretlow’s bill called for an increase in the total number of approved online sports betting operators in the Empire State to at least 14 by Jan. 31, 2023, and up to 16 by Jan. 31, 2024.

Potentially opening up the state to additional online sports betting operators, Addabbo said, may be a lucrative decision for New York and would bring in new viewpoints to the sports betting market.

“What I do know of the operators that applied for our licenses who didn’t make the cut, most of them are really good at what they do and can add different perspectives to the market, be it from entertainment, retail, or another industry. This would be welcome in New York,” he said.

Fanatics may have New York interest

One company likely monitoring the New York market is Fanatics. Additional New York online sports betting operators would be a welcome sight for the company, as Fanatics was in the first wave of applicants for a New York online sports betting license.

The company’s bid was not selected as a finalist.

Michael Rubin, CEO of Fanatics, recently appeared on Colin Cowherd’s podcast and discussed BetFanatics’ efforts to ramp up their sports betting presence.

While not yet live in any state, BetFanatics has applied for both an online and retail sports betting license in Ohio, has donated millions to a campaign to legalize California online sports betting, and recently submitted a “notice of intent” for a Massachusetts sports betting license.

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