New York Attorney General Letitia James warns Empire State bettors to be cautious when placing bets online on this weekend’s Super Bowl. Mobile sports betting in New York State has been just introduced, but there is plenty of online offerings and interest in it already as several gaming operators have already launched their sportsbook apps in the state.
The Empire State was first informed of its mobile sports betting expansion a while back before it was officially included in the state budget last April by former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Then later in November, the New York State Gaming Commission announced that it approved nine gaming operators to legally offer their online products to the state.
Beware of Online Scams
The Super Bowl will be the biggest sporting event since the official introduction of online sports betting in the state and maybe the biggest for the whole year. That is New York Attorney General Letitia James and her Office advise people to be cautious where they place their bets on the game online. Players are urged to make their research on the website first and then place their wagers.
Ms. James urged every New Yorker who plans on betting on the Super Bowl online to be careful where they place their wagers and to make sure that they are not victims of an online scam. She advises everyone to familiarize themselves with the platforms first and to read the fine print of the offer. She also warned online operators not to fumble their advertising in order to mislead customers.
The Attorney General’s Office has offered some of the tips before Sunday’s football clash. It urges bettors to learn what other users who have tried it think of the platform, as well as reading reviews by experts. The office also advises to always read the fine print on bonuses and other promotions, as sometimes promotions require spending a large amount of money first, in order to claim it.
Players are also cautioned about unexpected restrictions on accessing your account, as platforms have the right to suspend one’s activity based on the unfair advantage or irregular playing patterns. The Attorney General’s office reminds that hedging strategies, placing bets on opposite sides of a game, could be a violation of operators’ policies. Hence, their accounts could be locked.
Beginning of a New Gambling Chapter
After months of waiting, the Empire State officially kicked off its mobile sports betting market on January 8, 2022. A total of four operators went live on the same date. They were Caesars Sportsbook, BetRivers, DraftKings, and FanDuel. The number of live operators has since grown to seven, with PointsBet, BetMGM, and WynnBET also launching. As of right now, only Bally Bet and Resorts World remain to go live.
Despite the limited amount of mobile sports betting operators, New York State enjoyed a flying start to its first month of operations. The New York State Gaming Commission reported that from January 8 to January 31, 2022, the active operators have handled US$1.6 billion in sports wagers online. This is the largest amount recorded by a state for a single month of online sports betting.
Source: “NY Attorney General issues consumer alert on online sports betting ahead of Super Bowl”, WGRZ, February 10, 2022
