New York Mobile Sports Betting Launched Over the Weekend

Nick Makowitz Sports Betting Expert

3 minute read

The wait is over. Mobile sports betting has finally made its debut in New York.

FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars, and Rush Street Interactive have all met the necessary regulations to begin accepting online wagers, and came bounding out of the gate on Saturday, January 8th at 9 AM.

All four operators are industry-regulars and have the firepower to compete with each other in a customer acquisition arms race.

FanDuel and DraftKings have been the top dogs of the sports betting space for years and bring extraordinary name recognition with them to the Big Apple.

Caesars has been a staple of the casino and betting business for a long time and used 2021 to launch a massive national ad campaign starring actor and comedian J.B. Smoove.

Rush Street Interactive has launched its BetRivers sportsbook in New York as the company continues its rapid expansion in an effort to keep up with the previously-named industry giants.

Because the New York market is expected to be one of the largest in the country, operators will likely focus their initial efforts on customer acquisition. How does one sportsbook acquire customers in a sea of successful, legal sportsbooks?

Promotions.

Fortunately for prospective New York bettors, the more, the merrier when it comes to promotional offers.

FanDuel, for example, will offer first-time online and mobile users in New York a risk-free bet up to $1,000. To claim the offer:

• Make a deposit
• Place your first cash wager of up to $1,000 on FanDuel Sportsbook
• If the wager loses, you will be refunded 100% up to $1,000!
• If the wager wins, keep your cash!

Shortly after squeezing every dollar from these welcome offers and bonuses, New Yorkers should be getting a fresh batch.

There are five licensed operators remaining in NY, all racing to meet all of the regulatory criteria in order to launch their respective sites and apps. If all goes to plan, New York bettors will have five more launches to take advantage of before the 2022 Super Bowl.

Making use of welcome offers, promo codes, and new-user-bonuses is an excellent way to build up your bankroll.

For low stakes, casual bettors, risk-free bets and bonus cash can support their entire year’s bankroll. For high-stakes bettors, utilizing promos and special offers is equally, if not more, important. Bonus cash and risk-free opportunities can turn into large paydays for professionals.

Launching four online sportsbooks with five waiting in the wings is a massive step forward for the Empire State. Previously, New Yorkers could only bet on sports at four retail locations, all of which are an hour or more from New York City.

By some projections, New York will surpass $1 billion in annual mobile sports betting revenue. For reference, New Jersey led the nation in 2020 with a shade under $400 million in revenue.

Written by Nick Makowitz, our US Sports Betting Industry expert. You can learn more about our author's expertise here.

Nick Makowitz

In his spare time, Nick likes digging into NFL and NCAAB betting data, going to breweries with friends, and trying out any and every Mexican restaurant in Pittsburgh. More from Nick Makowitz