New York online casino legalization efforts will continue into March 10 and perhaps March 11, according to state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.‘s office. The Ozone Park Democrat told a group of iGaming leaders on March 7 that March 9 would be the do-or-die date for A3634 and S4856.
Addabbo’s press secretary, Anthony Giudice, tells Bonus today about iGaming bill discussions in Albany:
It may not be discussed today and could get pushed to either tomorrow or Saturday. …
We are hoping it gets brought up sooner rather than later, but as discussions and debates drag on, the schedule is pretty fluid on when things are brought up.
The bills to legalize online casino, poker, and iLottery in New York will need to be included in the budget that members of the New York State Legislature are discussing.
If not, Addabbo said he and state Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow would stop pushing for their bills to be approved in 2023. Pretlow, D-Mount Vernon, agreed with Addabbo’s statement. Both broke that news to iGaming leaders during a roundtable discussion held on Tuesday in Manhattan.
However, if lawmakers do add iGaming legalization to the budget, the amended version of Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul‘s $227 billion executive budget would help the marketplace launch in 2024. Analysts expect New York online casino legalization at a 30.5% tax rate, as outlined in S4856, to generate at least $1 billion in 2024.
UPDATE: 3/10/2023
As of 2 p.m. today, lawmakers haven’t yet added New York online casino legalization to the state budget. However, they also haven’t eliminated the iGaming bills.
Budget discussions continue today as it must be approved by April 1.
Meanwhile, members of the New York State Legislature may work into the weekend.
New York Online Casino Legalization a Longshot?
Online gambling leaders who don’t expect New York online casino legalization to pass in 2023 express their pessimism differently.
On Jan. 26, BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt said he didn’t expect new US online casino states to launch during 2023 because of opponents’ concerns about cannibalization.
Mark Mazzeo, a writer at Catena Media‘s Legal Sports Report, tweeted another skeptical statement. Mazzeo is attending the conference where Addabbo had been scheduled to speak today. Like LSR, Bonus is a Catena Media publication.
Mazzeo quoted Howard Glaser. Glaser is the global head of government affairs and legislative counsel at Light and Wonder (LNW).
The LNW leader said this regarding the possibility that New York iGaming will pass:
There’s a greater chance of the Earth crashing into the sun this morning.
Glaser was part of Addabbo’s roundtable discussion on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the Earth continues to revolve around the Sun.
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