NY Online Casino: Best Gambling Sites in New York

Online gambling is not currently legal in New York. However the Bill to allow online casinos in New York state is introduced.

The state would tax online casinos at 30.5% and put the industry under the purview of the New York Gaming Commission. 30+ casino sites may go live if the Bill is adopted, it then would legalize online slots, table games, online poker, and live dealer casinos in New York. 

Mobile sports betting was recently legalized in January of 2022 and there’s a move afoot to add online casino gambling to the mix. betRivers NY, BetMGM Casino, Caesars online casino are among the first legal online casino sites expected to go live in New York (in 2023).

NY Best Online Casinos

New York Online Gambling Overview & Legal Casino Websites

For years as the betting industry was awaiting the arrival of online gambling to New York state, the experts envisioned what a massive development it could prove to be. As it turns out, they were right – and then some. 

New York generated more than $2 billion in wagers and almost $80 million in tax revenue during the state’s first month of legal and regulated online and mobile betting. Those numbers exceeded both the US gambling mecca of Nevada and the more recent powerhouse New Jersey to grab the No. 1 spot in terms of US gambling revenue over that span of time. 

There are now almost 10 top sites in NY that are legally available for online gambling and mobile sports betting. The leaders in New York are: BetMGM, Caesars, Draftkings and brand-new bet365 site (launching in 2023).

New York Physical Gambling Sites

New York’s brick and mortar betting sites include 12 different Native American casinos. There’s also five commercial casinos, including Resorts Catskills and Rivers Casino. As well, there are eight racinos situated in New York state race tracks such as Vernon Downs and Saratoga.

• Best Online Casino Sitesin New York
  • New Yorkers can wager at casinos through Caesars, BetMGM, BetRivers, FanDuel, DraftKings and PointsBet. 
• Best NY Online Sports Betting Sites
  • DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, PointsBet, BetRivers, WynnBet and Caesars are all available to sports bettors in the Empire State. 
• Best New York Online Horse Racing Sites
  • NYRA Bets is NY’s leading online betting operator, available nationwide on their app and on-track. 

New York Online Gambling Offers

Matching first deposit bonuses is another popular gambling offer. DraftKings NY provided players with a 20% matching first deposit bonus of up to $1,000. That means if a player were to make a first deposit of $5,000, they’d receive an additional $1,000 through the bonus offer.

Another common sign up offer among NY gambling sites is simply a free cash bonus. It generally won’t be a massive amount but regardless, it is free money to bet as you wish. For instance, BetMGM offers players based in New York $25 in free cash. 

The online casino business is a competitive one, so New York players can expect plenty of bonus offers to be dangled in front of them in order to attract their business to a specific site. Welcome bonuses get new players started. These can vary from matching bonuses in which sites will match a predetermined amount of a player’s first deposit, to free play bonuses, and free spin offers. No deposit bonuses are also offered, which is a small stipend of cash to play with just for joining an online casino.

New York State Gaming Commission: Growing The Games

Created on Feb. 1, 2013 the New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming activity in the Empire State. They supervise horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, Class III Indian Gaming, the state lottery, including video lottery terminals, commercial gaming and charitable igaming. The state is expected to get regulated and licensed online casino sites as well, hopefully in 2023 or by 2024. Let’s see.

New Yorkers played $2.4 billion bets over the state’s first month of legal and regulated online and mobile gambling. That total was including a whopping $472 million wagered on Super Bowl Sunday. Those numbers exceeded all projections for the state’s launch. 

When it comes to generating activity in the New York online igaming and betting market, sites like NY.Bet are major providers of this access to action. Partnered with the actual online gambling sites, these affiliats actively promote and market the betting platforms, breaking down and analyzing all they have to offer. This enables potential players to weigh the options when choosing from among the many sites before the requirement of signing up or funding an account.

Many of these affiliate sites are European-based and European owned and operated. From the outside this might seem a bit odd but anyone with even a passing knowledge of the online betting industry will be aware that Europe is miles ahead of the USA and New York state when it comes to the proliferation of product. They’ve set the industry standards years before such betting was legalized across the majority of the USA in 2018. That makes them major experts and influencers in the business of betting.

Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Chair Joe Addabbo, a Democrat representing Queens, is the sponsor behind Senate Bill S8412. The bill, if passed into law, would allow New York casinos, New York State tribal nations, and their independent contractors to operate online casino slots and table games in the state of New York. 

New York Online Casino Rules

If and when online gambling is approved in the state of New York, it would be the New York State Gaming Commission that will serve as licensee and regulator over all online casino operators within the Empire State. 

The New York State Gaming Commission is in charge of regulating all areas of gaming activity in the State. Their governance includes horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, Class III Indian Gaming, the state lottery (including video lottery terminals), commercial gaming and charitable gaming.

New York Casino Betting Revenue

It’s not difficult to fathom why state of New York lawmakers would be anxious to welcome the launch on online casino wagering across the state. In the first month that New York state offered online sports betting, $1.6 billion in revenue was generated. That made New York the No. 1 producing state in the USA in terms of sports betting revenue. In excess of $70 million in tax dollars were generated for the state from that betting handle.

Handle for online casino gambling traditionally is significantly higher than what is created via wagering online on sporting events. It’s anticipated by industry analysts that ​​New York online casinos would be capable of generating around $475 million in annual tax revenue for New York State. 

With online casino gambling currently in drydock, the only comparison available to assess the impact these virtual casinos could generate is to examine how much was earned at New York’s four land-based casinos during the 2020-21 fiscal year.

Revenue earned from land-based casino gambling at each New York casino:

Land-Based Casino                          Last Year Revenue

Del Lago Resort Casino                     $100,686,995

Resorts World Catskills                       $147,751,071

Rivers Casino & Resort             $117,526,088

Tioga Downs Casino                                                 $51,929,459

List Of New York Online Casinos

Should Bill S8412 get through the New York State Legislature by the June ending of the current session and on to the desk of Governor Kathy Hochul, there’s a chance that New York state could see online casino gambling late in 2023. 

Passing the law is merely the first step, however. Next, state regulators would need to draw up the standard for acquiring an online casino, and then proceed with the process of reviewing each applicant to see if they make the grade to be granted a license.

Both commercial casinos and tribal nations would be eligible to partner with online casino sites under Bill S8412. Along with the four current land-based casinos, licenses for three more land-based casinos are expected to be handed out later this year. 

Based on the gambling companies that are operating online sportsbooks in New York state, here’s a look at some of the online casinos that could potentially be coming to the Empire State. 

BetMGM Online Casino

At the BetMGM online casino across state lines in New Jersey (not live in New York yet), they offer hundreds of slots, table games and a live dealer casino. There are exclusive games, jackpot slots, poker and the BetMGM Rewards program. They also offer a welcome bonus of a 100 percent matching first deposit up to $1,000 and $25 in free cash. 

Caesars Casino

One of the legends of American gambling, at the Caesars online casino they give you $10 to bet just for signing up. New players from New York can also access their welcome bonus offer of a 100 percent matching first deposit bonus that maxes out at $500 if they travel to NJ to register casino app account. Their world-class online casino offers a large array of blackjack, roulette, slots, video poker, table games, and big jackpot slots. All players are also welcomed into the Caesars Rewards program.

FanDuel Casino

Newcomers to FanDuel’s online casino can access their signup bonus offer of $1,000 in free play during their first 24 hours playing in the FanDuel online casino. All losses incurred during that span are refunded to the player up to a maximum of $1,000. Their site is populated with a vast array of Las Vegas-style slots and table games. These include 340 varieties of slots, baccarat, roulette, blackjack, video poker and a dozen live dealer tables. 

Types Of New York Online Casino Games

Online casino gambling is not currently legal in New York state. Once these sites are approved and are launching in the Empire State, players can expect to be accessing slots, jackpot slots, table games such as baccarat, roulette, blackjack and craps, video poker and online poker rooms, as well as live dealer games in which actual people run the games from inside a studio.

The old saying is that variety is the spice of life and when it comes to online casino gambling. New Yorkers can look forward to being given access to a vast array of games. Slot machines, jackpots, table games, live dealer tables, video poker, even virtual sports – it’s all there for the taking. 

Online Slots in New York

When it comes to online casino gambling, far and away the most popular form of gameplay are the slots. This is entirely understandable. Table games such as blackjack, roulette, or baccarat might be intimidating to the new casino bettor. Pulling a level or pushing the button of a slot machine is as simple and easy as gambling can get. It’s entirely 100 percent a game of chance. Skill is not a requirement for success.

New York online casinos like BetMGM (can play only in NJ) will on average offer hundreds of slot game options from all of the top providers in the industry, such as NetEnt, IGT, PlayTech. They will carry everything from traditional favorites to new videoslot games and exclusive many reels slots with high RTP, good payout percentage and great bonus features that includes extra spins that are only available on their gambling site online.

Jackpots

Progressive jackpot slots are the most popular form of game played at online casinos (soon in New York). The best progressive slots are a unique type of slot machines. They’re known for their huge additional prizes which keep rising every time someone spins the reels. Each time the wheels spin on a jackpot slot machine, a portion of that wager played is added to the jackpot total. Players can see the jackpot grow incrementally in real time. Some jackpot slots can reach into the millions of dollars.

Table Games

Online casino table games are for players who enjoy a bit of added intrigue and excitement in their casino play. As well, there is a mix of luck, skill and strategy involved, so players also like the notion that they at least have some control over the outcome of the game. Popular table games include blackjack, roulette, baccarat and craps. Leading online casinos will be offering several variations of each of these games to their players. 

Live Dealer Tables

The newest and fastest-growing area of game play at online casinos are live dealer table games. As the name suggests, while players are still playing their casino table games online, they are doing so with an actual human being overseeing game play. 

Dealers and croupiers are situated in a studio and interact with players in real time. It offers the effect of delivering the feel of being on an actual casino floor without the need to shower, or get in the car and drive there. You’re still doing your casino gambling from the comfort of your own home – or wherever you might be if accessing via a mobile app.

Video Poker

Sitting at a poker table, contesting hands against other players, even within an online environment, can also be an intimidating process. That’s why many players prefer the anonymity of video poker. Instead of facing opponents, players are going one on one with a computer. 

Video poker variables include Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, Tens or Better, Bonus Poker, Aces and Faces and Joker Poker.

Bingo, Online Slingo and more

Many casinos are beginning to offer online bingo parlors, as well as slingo, which is a game that is a combination of bingo and slot machines. 

Virtual sports are another online casino game offering that is rapidly growing in popularity. Players can wager on virtual, computerized versions of sports such as soccer, auto racing, golf, tennis, basketball, horse racing, greyhound racing, cycling and motorcycle racing.

Results for these virtual events are created through the use of a computerized random number generator.

Boost For New York Online Casino Future

The win by Democrat Kathy Hochul in the New York Governor race during the November midterm elections should be good news to the ears of anyone hoping that the Empire State will be legalizing online casino gambling sooner rather than later.

Incumbent Hochul won by garnering 52.8 percent of the vote. Republican challenger Lee Zeldin received the backing of 47.1 percent of New York voters.

While both Hochuil and Zeldin outwardly seemed to be taking a pro-gambling stance during the election process, Hochul’s attitude seemed to be more get it done in terms of expanding New York’s online gambling footprint. 

Zeldin’s approach tended to sound more like a wait and see temperament. When asked during the Governors debate about whether New York state should consider pausing the process of expanding casino gambling, Zeldin’s answer was “possibly.” Zeldin’s feeling was that retail casinos shouldn’t “be jammed into areas that didn’t want it.”

Hochul, who was the driving force behind moving changes to casino gambling in New York forward, was adamant that the process should continue full speed ahead.

“We’re not going to stop the process,” Hochul said. “This is an opportunity to recharge downstate communities.”

Hochul’s campaign was drawing strong support from those with interests in online gambling. She raised a record $5 million in campaign financing. That includes $75,000 from DraftKings -$25,000 each from DraftKings CEO CEO Jason Robins, his wife, Shannon Robins and Stanton Dodge,who serves as the chief legal officer for the company. Hard Rock chairman Jim Jim Allen was also donating $25,000 to the Hochul campaign.

Hochul was viewed as being more friendly to the idea of online gambling than Andrew Cuomo, her predecessor in the Governor’s chair in Albany. 

New York Online Casino Gambling Regulations & Hopes

A positive note in the bid to get online casino gambling licensed within New York State was the re-election of State Senator Joseph Addabbo for another term during the recent U.S. midterm elections. Addabbo, who has represented the 15th Senate District since 2009, has long been a champion of the benefits New York can gain from online gambling. In fact, he serves in the state legislature as the State Gaming Chair.

Addabbo was at the front, leading the charge to get online sports betting legalized within the state. He notes that since regulated online sports betting was launched in New York state on Jan. 8, 2022, the state has collected over $1 billion in gross gaming revenue.

“Since New York entered the mobile sports betting market back in January, we have collected over $500 million in tax revenue,” Addabbo said in a statement. “That is an incredible achievement — especially in only a 10-month timespan with only nine operators — with the majority of this money going towards the state’s educational coffers, gaming addiction programs, as well as youth sports programs. 

“With this great start, I look forward to a greater potential for increasing the benefits of mobile sports betting for the residents of New York with the NFL season in full swing, the NHL and NBA seasons getting underway and the (recent) World Series.”

Addabbo is now striving to gain legal, regulated online casinos for New York State. He’s trying to get a proposal to legalize online casino gambling put forward early next year. Addabbo is hopeful that the first legal online casino bet will be placed in New York by late 2023 or early 2024.”It’s not going to be easy, but it’s not impossible either,” Addabbo told Spectrum Local News. “There’s not a hurdle we can’t clear. Last year, we did mobile sports betting. This year, we did the downstate licenses. We have addressed these two big items for the benefit of New Yorkers.”

New York Forms Casino Locating Commission

Another step toward the eventual legalization of online casino gambling in New York state is the recent establishment of the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board. While the three-member board’s first task will be determining the best sites for New York’s three proposed downstate retail casinos, any form of casino expansion must be viewed as optimistic by New Yorkers hoping to ultimately be able to do their casino gambling from the comfort of their own homes.

Appointed to the newly-formed NYGFLB in October of 2022 were Vicki Been, Quenia Abreu and Stuart Rabinowitz. Been is currently a New York University School of Law professor who has previously served as the deputy mayor for housing and economic development under New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Abreu is president of the New York Women’s Chamber of Commerce. Rabinowitz is a lawyer at the New York firm of Meltzer, Lippe, Goldstein & Breitstone. He previously served as the president of Hofstra University on Long Island for 20 years.

They will be tasked with reviewing all applications for the three downstate retail casino sites, an area that takes into account New York City, Long Island and Westchester County. That process is expected to begin no later than Jan. 6, 2023.

Once they are done with their review, the NYGFLB will then be making recommendations to the New York State Gaming Commission as to which of the applicants they feel are most suitable and deserving of the licenses. Ultimately, the gaming commission will be responsible for issuing the licenses and they could choose sites different from those recommended. However, the commission is making it clear that the only reason they would ignore the recommendations of the committee would be if they unearthed concerns regarding the character of fitness of any of the applicants.

New York Online Casino Apps

All of the online casino sites anticipated to arrive in New York state offer mobile apps. Each of those sites provide apps that are compatible with both iOS and Android operating systems. One-quick links to download these apps are accessible directly from the online casino’s web page. Players will find these apps to be easy to navigate and to be offering the same style of games that would be found at an online casino’s desktop site.

New York Online Casino Gambling FAQs