New York Gambling
FAQ / Q&A -- History -- Regulation -- Land Based Casinos -- Fun Facts
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New York Online Casinos
Regulation and Legality of Online Gambling
Online gambling in the state of New York is neither legal nor illegal. The strange nature of this statement lies in the fact that NY never really bothered to pass any laws that are meant to penalize online casino aficionados.
Lawmakers are rarely in touch with current technologies, so it’s possible that the New York State Senate simply didn’t pay attention to the popularity of online casinos. Given the current situation, most experts believe that NY will be amongst the next wave of states to adopt legal online gambling.
One of the main reasons for this is the well-established nature of the Empire State’s casino culture. Ever since the passing of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) in 1988, New York has seen steady growth in the number of land-based venues. Today, three federally recognized tribes operate a total of seven gaming facilities.
This number officially received an expansion, as a 2013 decision by lawmakers resulted in a plan to add seven non-tribal casinos. As of August 2020, four of these seven venues have been built and are up and running. Most of the 11 casinos in New York are in the northern area, but the mid-2020s are poised to see a move down south, as well.
Currently, you can also enjoy sports betting at retail sportsbooks. The activity was officially legalized on July 17, 2019. The first few months were marred by frequent comparisons to NJ and the fact that omitting online sportsbooks from bills was a mistake.
With new expansions efforts on the way, it’s only a matter of time before New York starts offering online casino services to its adult citizens.
Until then, you can play at offshore sites. This is perfectly legal because there are no laws forbidding playing at online casinos. Additionally, NY law enforcement doesn’t have the legal right to prosecute any operator outside state lines.
Just make sure that you choose a site that has one or more licenses, and that online reviews about them are mostly positive. SSL encryption and good customer support are also a big plus.
Although some neighboring states have already passed legislation allowing online gambling (looking at you, New Jersey), we can only make assumptions when it comes to New York passing laws that would open possibilities for intrastate gambling websites. The impact of Black Friday is still present - the most infamous online gambling bust in the world. It took place in New York in 2011 when Preet Bharara of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York filed indictments against the three largest online poker rooms. The US market was left without Full Tilt Poker, Absolute Poker, and PokerStars, as they were deemed to be in violation of the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006.
The unfortunate event shed some light about the attitude of the NY politicians towards gambling on the internet, but the fact remains that there are no punishments for online gamblers written into the criminal codes of the state. While illegal operators should watch out, individual gamblers tend to play at trusted offshore sites.
Gambling history in New York State
The view on New York as an anti-gambling state stems from, among other things, the fact that it was the first state to constitutionally ban gambling in 1821. Before that, lottery was thriving. In fact, lottery funded the early settlement at Jamestown in the first decade of the 1600s. It was common to use lottery draws as a tool to finance settlements during the 1700s and the 1800s. Lottery even helped finance the war against the British in 1776. The ban, however, ended the lottery until its comeback in the 1960s.
The first NY horse track opened in 1655, at Newmarket located in the Hempstead Plains (today’s Queens). One of the most well-known tracks in the world, Belmont Park has been running since 1905, but its operations didn’t become fully legal until 1959.
The modern era in New York got its first form of legalized gambling - pari-mutuel (or pooled) betting on horse races. State lottery followed in 1966, and at about that time bingo was also regulated, along with charity gambling in 1970. Casino fans had to wait for a while longer for a breakthrough in the field of land-based casino gambling.
The first tribal casinos started popping up in 1993, and in 2001 racinos joined. However, twenty years had to pass from the foundation of the first tribal casino for New York to approve a massive gambling expansion in November 2013 and get several commercial casinos up and running in the Empire State. This was achieved by letting voters approve an amendment to the New York constitution that would eventually allow Las Vegas-style casinos within the state limits.
With the introduction of commercial gambling facilities, there was a need for a regulatory body that would ensure that all lawful gaming in the state is of the highest integrity and credibility. So, the New York State Racing and Wagering Board with the New York State Division of Lottery were merged into a single state agency. The New York State Gaming Commission became effective in 2013 and has been regulating all aspects of gaming activity in the state ever since.
New York land based casinos and real money slots
Some of the more striking commercial casino facilities are Empire City Casino in Yonkers with over 5,000 slot machines and Resorts World Casino in NYC, just minutes from JFK Airport. Resorts World has three floors, conveniently named by New York City’s most famous landmarks - Times Square Casino, Fifth Avenue Casino and Central Park Casino. Across three betting floors, Resorts World brings the thrill of big city gambling to the New York audience. The floors house over 5,200 slot machines, roulette, blackjack, baccarat, craps and poker tables. Resorts World Casino NYC also features three unique high-limit rooms for Platinum and Black Card members.
The latest additions to the New York brick and mortar gaming landscape are Lago Resort & Casino, Montreign Resort Casino and Rivers Casino & Resort, having opened their doors as recently as 2017 and 2018.
Neighbouring States: Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island (water border), Vermont
At what age can you legally gamble online in NY?
While there is no legally defined limit, we believe that 21 is the realistic minimum age. Every state that legalized online casino imposed that age as the lower threshold. And besides, all 11 casinos in New York don’t allow anyone below 21 to enter their premises.
If you see sites that allow players 18 and above to create an account, find another casino. While such an age limit is legally reasonable in Curacao or Malta, it will most certainly be viewed as underage gambling in NY.
Which games can you find at New York online casinos?
New Yorkers love slots and roulette, so it makes sense that sites have slot-heavy rosters. In between various classic and modern slots, you’ll find variants of roulette or even a blackjack game. For more niche titles, you’re going to have to look a bit harder.
Can you also play live casino games?
Yes, but not on every site. It’s a big undertaking to live stream from one studio 24/7, so many casinos want to spare their expenses and invest in something else.
What are the most common payment methods at NY casino sites?
Just like in the rest of the US, players pick their payment options according to two factors - familiarity and functionality. Being familiar with a certain payment method lets you get comfortable with it and utilize all its perks.
Credit/debit cards are a perfect example. Despite credit card fraud being a common occurrence in today’s world, people still can’t resist using them. The fact that they only have to input a total of 20ish digits in order to deposit money is a tempting ‘feature’.
Wire transfers and eCheck are even less efficient than cards, but mainly older people like to use them.
When it comes to functionality, no one beats eWallets. With little to no holes in their approach to security, you can enjoy things such as fast transfers and online shopping opportunities.
Privacy is becoming increasingly important, making cryptocurrencies increasingly popular. With undecryptable transactions and records, you can rest assured knowing that your money will reach its destination.
Do New York online casinos pay withdrawals fast?
Depending on the payment methods you’re using, things go something like this:
● Wire transfer: 5-7 days
● eCheck: 4-5 days
● Card: 3-5 days
● eWallets: Instant
● Cryptocurrencies 15 mins - 1 hr
Fun Facts about New York
- The famous Woodstock Music Festival wasn’t actually held in Woodstock. The towns of Woodstock and Wallkill refused to host it, so the festival took place on a dairy farm in Bethel, NY. It lasted for three days in August 1969 and 400,000 people attended it.
- Ever wondered how Wall Street got its name? It was named after a 12-foot wall that was built in the 17th century by the citizens of New York, then New Amsterdam, to discourage pirate attacks. New York’s name was New Amsterdam until 1664 when the English took it from the Dutch and named it after the Duke of York and Albany.
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