Tag: mobile betting

New York Online Sportsbooks Get Off to a Flying Start

Posted on by Grant Mahon

Online sports betting has officially launched in the state of New York. Starting Saturday, January 8, 2022, New Yorkers have the luxury to bet on sports using one of the state-approved betting apps or sites.

A total of nine sportsbooks have been given the operating license, however, only four have made their debut on day 1.

The sportsbooks in question are the following:

  • BetRivers
  • Caesars
  • DraftKings
  • FanDuel Sportsbooks

For these brands, making an early launch proved to be the right choice as the sportsbooks cashed in some record-breaking amounts during the first weekend of NY mobile betting.

Great News for New York

According to data from GeoComply, betting volumes recorded in New York outshined those from other betting-friendly states. This includes two of NY’s neighboring states, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The total betting handle generated in New York within the first 12 hours of mobile betting is reportedly around $5.8 million. In comparison, bettors from Pennsylvania recorded a $2.3 million handle, while those in New Jersey placed a total of $2.1 million worth of bets.

The fact that New York broke the record of other states is great news for the state government. Considering that operators need to pay a 51% tax to the state, it’s expected that New York is going to gain about $500 million from tax revenue.

The money is supposed to be used to fund education, addiction-battling projects, youth sports initiatives, and so on.

BetMGM New York to Launch Next

The four NY online sportsbooks generated record amounts during the first weekend, but we could see them doing even better in the upcoming weeks. This is because the Super Bowl LVI is on the program in February, which is the most popular sports event in the US, both among fans and bettors.

Big revenue figures are expected for the other sportsbooks as well. The remaining five sportsbooks are supposed to launch before the Super Bowl, with BetMGM being the first on the list. In fact, BetMGM is set to launch its NY internet sportsbook on Monday, January 17.

The other four – Bally Bet, Wynn Interactive, PointsBet, and Resorts World – are expected to launch by the end of the month.

Grant Mahon

Grant is the self-professed casino madman and reporter that brought this eclectic team of dedicated and talented writers together from around the world to proudly build an humble empire of authentic casino news.

West Virginia’s House Judiciary Okays Sports Betting Bill

Posted on by Aran Malik
  • West Virginia House Judiciary Committee votes in favor of H 2934
  • The tax rate changes from 10% to 15%
  • WV is serious about expanding online sports betting through independent contractors

The West Virginia House Judiciary Committee has decided not to put a stop to an advancing sports betting bill. As per the new agreement, businesses that want to start running activities in the state will have to pay a slightly steeper tax rate, too.

H 2934 Gets the Go-Ahead in West Virginia

House Bill 2934 is the most advanced hope for sports betting in West Virginia. The bill outlines the tax rate and binding licensing conditions and now the WV House Judiciary Committee has agreed to push the legislation forward.

Originally set at 10%, the new proposed tax law will see operators pay 15% as a result of the renegotiation in the Committee.

However, the Committee didn’t alter any of the other pillars of the bill, including the proposed license fee nor their period.

Licenses will still cost $250,000 (far less than Pennsylvania where they can reach $10 million) and a renewal fee would need to be paid every five years to the amount of $100,000.

A Controlled Expansion of Sports Betting in WV

So far, WV doesn’t plan on pushing with multiple properties state-wide. Legislators want to establish a vibrant industry and make sure that tax revenue is gathered. With this in mind, only four brands would be allowed to operate in the state, including:

  • Hollywood Casino
  • Mountaineer Racetrack
  • Casino and Delaware
  • Greenbrier Resort

The bill will indeed focus on land-based operations and try to concentrate power in the hands of the aforementioned, but this doesn’t preclude the existence of other operations.

For example, there will be special licenses for companies that want to pursue online gaming independent of the land-based properties. This will come with a fair priced license and renewal fee at $100,000 each.

The renewal fee will have to be paid every year as opposed to what land-based properties are paying. An interesting addition to the bill is that everyone who wants to be employed in the sector will need to acquire an occupational license priced at $100.

In the United Kingdom, for example, regulators are not hesitating to go after individual people as well as company licenses if they suspect that customers have been mislead on purpose.

The introduction of a license would give business accountability and thus bolster player security. H 2934 is not the only bill presently trying to alter the spots betting climate in the state for the better.

H 2178 was another initiative put forth by Rep. Shawn Fluharty and Joe Canestraro in January. In its outline, the bill tries to change the 1931 Code of West Virginia to allow online gaming and casinos in the state.

Aran Malik

“Magic Malik”—as we like to call him—is not only a tech whiz but a wizard when it comes to getting obscure news hot off the press so we know exactly what’s happening and can explore and report it back to our growing and loyal readerbase.