Pretlow: NY Online Sports Betting Server Negotiations Complete, Late January Launch Possible

Servers have been negotiated between New York online sports betting operators and NY casinos, state assemblyman Gary Pretlow told playin-ny.

And Pretlow believes — pending approval by state regulators — NY online sports betting could be up and running by late January for the NFL playoffs.

“Servers have been negotiated,” Pretlow wrote in a text and later confirmed via phone. “Waiting for (regulators), should be up by (the) end of January.”

Officials pushing NY sports betting launch in January

playin-ny reported that operators are pushing hard for a January launch during the NFL playoffs.

Key policymakers and advocates like Pretlow and NY Sen. Joe Addabbo want that to happen and believe that the NY State Gaming Commission (NYSGS) is also aiming for the same outcome.

The NFL playoffs begin with wild-card weekend Jan. 15-17. The divisional round takes place Jan. 22-23, with both the NFC and AFC championship games on Jan. 30.

Super Bowl LVI is on Feb. 13 in Los Angeles. which would serve as a key benchmark to see how New York online sports betting performs on the biggest sports betting day in America.

With New Jersey recording $3.6 billion in sports betting handle from September-November, the pressure has been on NY.

The Empire State has great potential to eventually outperform the Garden State due to its population (20 million) and massive sports fan base. But questions remain about how NY’s 51% tax rate will impact promotions and lines, potential sending residents elsewhere — whether that be NJ, Connecticut, Pennsylvania or their illegal bookie.

Server process moves forward

Each sportsbook operators’ server must be at any of the state’s four upstate commercial casinos:

• Rivers
• Del Lago
• Resorts World
• Tioga Downs

Upon installation, state regulators must approve the servers. As of now, each operator can launch once it gets approval from the NYSGC.

Addabbo, though, has been pushing for a single start date for all nine operators: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Bally’s, Caesars, WynnBet, PointsBet, Resorts World and Rush Street.