Two of New York’s most prominent gambling expansion advocates had to cross the Election Day chasm so their plans can progress in 2023. They won. So Gov. Kathy C. Hochul and state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. are expected to continue their work on downstate casino licenses and New York online casino legalization.
According to unofficial results from the New York State Board of Elections as of midnight EST, Democrat Hochul was beating her Republican challenger, Lee Zeldin, by 10%.
With 4.6 million votes counted, 54.5% of electors chose Hochul, and 44.62% picked Zeldin. That’s 2.5 million and 2 million, respectively.
Meanwhile, in a race that New York online casino advocates may have cared about more, Addabbo – D, Queens – won decisively. He received 54.96% of the total 50,442 votes, and his Republican opponent, Danniel S. Maio, saw 41.57%.
Considering New York is among the four states expected to next legalize online casino gambling, US iGaming advocates may be pleased by this news.
New York Online Casino and Retail Casino Plans
During her debate last month with Zeldin, Hochul emphasized that the siting process is underway for three new retail casino licenses to be located in downstate New York. If elected, she promised the process would continue.
As of presstime, Hochul was winning her race by 451,591 votes – with 10,825 of 14,296 election districts reporting.
With no votes left to count in Addabbo’s race, the senator appears to have won reelection.
He’s already outlined his 2023 plans for Bonus several times. He’s said New York online casino will need to wait for 2023’s legislative session. Lawmakers may want to see more progress on the downstate casino siting process before they’ll vote to legalize online casino gambling, but he’ll lay the groundwork for its passage during 2023.
Addabbo annually sponsors New York online casino bills, as well as more gambling-related items. For instance, he’s a staunch advocate of responsible gambling initiatives. He’s also in favor of a gambling treatment court.
Now that Hochul and Addabbo won their elections, according to unofficial results, they can continue their work advocating legal gambling expansion.
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