This Week in Sports Betting News, January 14th 2022

Chris Altman Sports Betting Expert

4 minute read

This week in legal sports betting news in the US, New York launched their online betting program, Canada eyes a commercial market expansion, Tennessee is going with a new regulator for sportsbooks, and more.

NEW YORK GOES LIVE WITH ONLINE SPORTSBOOKS

On Saturday, January 8th, New York went live with online sports betting on mobile devices and websites statewide. Eligible bettors within state lines, whether they’re residents of NY or not, can sign up for accounts and bet right now.

At 9AM Eastern, sportsbooks taking pre-registration were able to switch to being fully online and begin offering the full slate of betting options available to users in NY. That means that every sport or esport an operator wants to offer, they can– with the exception of bets on in-state collegiate events and New York-based teams.

Users can still place bets on college sports, but if they take place in NY or a NY-based team is participating, these bets will not be listed on sportsbooks in the state. The one exception? Tournaments– any March Madness games taking place in New York or featuring a NY state team, for example, will be available.

TENNESSEE CHANGES SPORTS BETTING REGULATOR

The Sports Wagering Advisory Committee is now the regulator in charge of overseeing sports betting in Tennessee. Sportsbooks have been legal there since April 2019, but now that the SWAC is taking the reins from the Tennessee Education Lottery, there is an opportunity to take more applications.

As a result, five applicants are looking to enter the Tennessee market soon:

• Fubo Gaming
• Bally Bet
• SuperBook
• Gamewise(a joint venture between GAMING1 and Delaware North)
• ZenSports

Tennessee is already looking at a lifetime handle of $3 billion, and with the addition of five more operators, that number is set to increase at a steady click. When the above books do go live, VegasInsider will be sure to keep you up-to-date.

CAESARS GOES WITH NEW WELCOME OFFER IN NY

Caesars Sportsbook is ramping up their welcome offer with the launch of New York online sports betting! Now, users signing up for the platform for the first time can opt-in to a welcome package that nets them over $3,000 in available bonuses.

These bonuses consist of a $300 free bet and a $3,000 matched deposit bonus up to 100%. The first half of the bonus is a bet credit that you can use on a select number of markets across the sportsbook. The second half, the deposit match, will be granted based on the amount of your first ever eligible deposit, so set aside your play money!

This will also be the standard welcome offer when Caesars goes live in Louisiana, so if you find yourself near The Big Easy this winter and you’re legally eligible to bet, it’s a perfect time to try the Caesars Sportsbook app.

CANADA LOOKS TO EXPAND BETTING INTO COMMERCIAL SECTOR

Canada continues their expansion into the commercial betting sector, both through partnerships with national leagues and by looking to license commercial operators for sports wagering.

Operators like FanDuel and DraftKings both have set agreements with the NBA in Canada, while competitors BetRivers and William Hill (a Caesars brand) already offered wagering in the country before August 2021’s C-218 made single event wagering legal. Now, the latter will expand their existing markets while the former two operators are looking to open their first online sportsbooks in the country.

It’s an exciting time in Canada, especially Ontario, which is the province most likely to expand to a fully-fledged commercial market in 2022. Keep your eyes on Canadian news right here: we’ll make sure you’re up-to-date on all the sports betting goings-on in North America.

Written by Chris Altman, our US Sports Betting Industry Expert. You can learn more about our author’s expertise here.

Chris Altman

Chris Altman is a sports betting writer and content expert with almost a decade of experience. He's covered everything, but his current focus is on reviewing sportsbooks and online casinos and keeping tabs on sports betting legislation. Chris has been with VegasInsider since 2019 and has freelanced in the sports betting content industry for years. More from Chris Altman