Welcome to the game, New Yorkers! On Saturday morning, the very first legal online sports bets were placed in the Big Apple. Betting companies were given the all clear to launch in New York as of 9am on Saturday 8th January 2021, and bettors wasted no time in getting involved from the comfort of their own homes.
The very first bet, as reported by the New Yorker, was a $15 accumulator (or, as they say across the pond, parlay) containing six American football teams. Thousands of bets followed.
Apps for Betting in New York
Currently, only four apps have been given approval to launch their online sports books. Hopefully, we will see more in the future:
Interestingly, Caesars owns WilliamHill, a bookmaker that’s local to us Brits. Caesars acquired the company in April 2021 for a cool £2.9bn and has begun rebranding the WilliamHill US accounts to Caesars, a name and brand that will make most instantly think of Vegas and gambling.
Expect more apps to launch during 2022, with companies (including BetMGM and WynnBet) also obtaining licenses but not yet clearing legal requirements. Luckily for them, there’s enough lawyers in NYC!
Using Bet365 in New York
Bet365 did not receive their licence to operate initially, but they will surely not be far behind. Many are speculating that they will obtain their license in the summer of 2022. To me, it’s no surprise that the four companies that obtained a license to operate online sports betting in New York are all companies founded and based in the United States.
Written by Joe (Founder @ OddAlerts)