New York set to miss out on sports betting in 2018

New York is unlikely to legalise sports betting this year, according to Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie.

Speaking to reporters, Heastie said he was unsure if the process to advance the bill to the next stage would be complete in time.

Earlier this month, New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow submitted a bill for the potential legalisation of sports betting, pledging to pay a ‘royalty’ to sports leagues.

However, in order to pass this year, the Assembly would have to vote on it before the state legislature adjourns its session on Wednesday this week.

If this not completed in time, the bill would be put on hold until the next session, which is not due to take place until 2019.

“I don’t know if a week is enough,” Heastie said, according to Casino,org.

“Sometimes that can be a lifetime. But the broad spectrum of concerns members raised, I don’t know if that can be resolved.”

However, in an effort to speed up the process, both Pretlow and State Senator John Bonacic are adding a number of amendments to the bill.

These changes include lowering the proposed integrity fee on wagers on league games from 0.25% to 0.15%, as well as limiting licensees to only operating a single online sports betting platform.

Pretlow told Buffalo News: “I think that there’s time to convince people sitting on the fence.

“I also think the governor might want to take credit for this but I don’t think we’re getting that much support [from the governor’s office].”

The news comes after New Jersey last week began accepting the first sports bets under new laws in the state.

Related article: New Jersey prepares for today's sports betting launch