NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9343
SPONSOR: Rosenthal TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law, in
relation to prohibiting in-play sports wagers
PURPOSE:
This bill prohibits casinos and mobile sports betting platforms from
accepting in-play wagers.
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section one amends section 1367 of the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and
breeding law by adding a new subdivision 4-a.
Section two amends subdivision 1 of section 1367 of the racing, pari-mu-
tuel wagering and breeding law.
Section three establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
A 2024 study conducted by the National Council on Problem Gambling found
that 20 million adults had reported experiencing "at least one indicator
of problematic gambling behavior many times" throughout the year; this
includes 19% of people who made online bets.
This problematic behavior is exacerbated by a rise in mobile sports
betting. "In-play" or "live action" wagering allows people to make bets
throughout a sporting event on their smartphone or other device, provid-
ing bettors with multiple moments of instant gratification over an
extended period of time. In addition to being accessible to bettors
24/7, an analysis conducted by optimove Insights, a marketing platform
for sports betting, found that people placed larger wagers during live
action events than those who placed bets before the beginning of a game.
A 2018 paper published in the Journal of Gambling Studies found that an
alarming 78% of people who placed live action bets were classified as
problem gamblers, which is significantly higher than for other forms of
betting.
New York State has an obligation to protect consumers and address
concerning public health trends. As such, this legislation will prohibit
mobile sports betting licensees, operators and casinos from accepting
in-play wagers in New York State.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Undetermined.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
