New York senate introduces sports betting bill
SB1282 the first of several bills expected to try and legalize sports betting in the state
A group of five New York senators have filed a bill that would legalize sports betting in the state of New York.
SB1282 was officially filed by Senator Tony Avella and would amend the states’ constitution to permit betting on pro and college sports at racetracks, casinos and “simulcast theatres operated by off-track betting corporations”.
The bill calls for the proceeds of sports betting to go towards aid and education.
It has now been referred to the Senate Judiciary committee but has no equivalent yet in the House.
However, according to sports law attorney Daniel Wallach, it will not be the last sports betting bill to be introduced in New York.
“The ones that move the needle will be sponsored by J. Gary Pretlow and John Bonacic,” Wallach said.
In the House, J. Gary Pretlow said last month he was planning to introduce a bill to decriminalize sports betting in the state in early 2017.
His legislation will reportedly mimic New Jersey’s efforts to decriminalize sports betting in an effort to force the courts to rule on the legality of PASPA.
Pretlow, who chairs the NY Assembly’s Racing and Wagering Committee, also led the successful effort to legalize DFS in New York last year.
In the Senate, any sports betting bid would likely be led by Senator John Bonacic, the chair of the Racing, Gaming, and Wagering committee, who authored both an online poker bill and the Senate version of the DFS bill in 2016.
Bonacic is not as vocal as Pretlow on sports betting, saying in August last year there were still “significant legal issues to consider”.