New York Sports Betting Sites

Forbes
 
New York Sports Betting Sites

As legal sports betting made its way across the U.S., New York was a top priority for the industry thanks to its massive population and variety of regional teams.

Online sports betting began in New York in January 2022. The market has grown considerably since launch, with about $1.75 billion wagered in New York during the first month of the 2023 NFL season, according to state figures.

Is Sports Betting Legal In New York?

Both retail and mobile sports betting are legal in the Empire State. You must be physically present within the state’s borders to bet on a licensed site. You don’t have to be a New York resident to wager.

Sports betting is regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission. Retail sportsbooks first opened in 2019, followed by online betting in early 2022.

New York is the largest sports betting market in terms of the amount bet (handle), routinely exceeding $1 billion per month.

New York Sports Betting Sites

There is no clear-cut best sports betting site in New York, as we recommend you try several sportsbooks to take advantage of first-time user promotions.

Below are the sportsbooks we recommend using in New York.

DraftKings

DraftKings made some of the first agreements with New York teams. The company signed with the New York Rangers and New York Knicks in January 2020, earning stadium signage plus marketing on the penalty box and visiting bench. Draftkings also signed with the New York Giants in 2020, opening a virtual sports lounge open on game days and sponsoring all team-controlled TV/radio broadcasts and their digital/social channels.

Caesars

Caesars signed a deal with the New York Mets to open a sportsbook lounge inside Citi Field. Caesars also partnered with the Rangers and Knicks, giving the company exposure inside and outside Madison Square Garden. Additionally, Caesars operates the new “sportsbook-style” lounge at Highmark Stadium, home of the Buffalo Bills.

FanDuel

In April 2020, FanDuel signed with the New York Liberty, placing their logo on the team’s jerseys. Later, FanDuel partnered with the Buffalo Sabres to be a part of the team’s broadcast. FanDuel signed with the Bills as well, giving the sportsbook TV and radio spots plus in-game signs at Highmark Stadium. FanDuel also sponsored the Bills podcast, “Bills by the Numbers.”

BetMGM

BetMGM signed deals with the Rangers, Knicks and New York Jets. For games at Madison Square Garden, BetMGM has LED signage, Zamboni branding and commercial spots. For the Jets, BetMGM opened a 1,000-square-foot studio overlooking their practice field.

New York Teams To Bet On

New York Yankees

Once the Baltimore Orioles, the team was purchased in 1903 and named the Highlanders. They would be renamed the Yankees in 1913. In 1920 they purchased Babe Ruth from the Boston Red Sox, starting what is 100 years of an iconic legacy filled with Hall of Famers and 27 World Series championships.

New York Mets

The New York Metropolitan Baseball Club, Inc. was formed in response to both the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants leaving for California in 1958. The Mets played their first game in 1962 and won their first World Series by the end of the decade, beating the heavily favored Baltimore Orioles in 1969. They won again in 1986 against the Red Sox, who were infamously one strike away from winning the series in Game 6.

New York Islanders

Formed in 1972, the Islanders was a potential name for the would-be Mets. And like the Mets, the Islanders found success early in their franchise, winning the Stanley Cup in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. They struggled afterwards, however, and have not won their division since the 80s.

New York Rangers

Despite starting in 1926, the Rangers were not New York’s first hockey team; that title went to the 1925 Americans. The Rangers assembled a powerful team that won the Stanley Cup in 1928, beating the Montreal Maroons. They won three more titles in the years since, most recently in 1994.

Buffalo Sabres

Established in 1970 alongside the Vancouver Canucks, the Sabres were named after a contest that brought in 13,000 entries. It took three years for them to make the playoffs, and in the 1974-1975 season they made the Stanley Cup but lost in six games to the Philadelphia Flyers. They returned in 1999 but have yet to win.

New York Giants

The Giants were revived in 1925 after the NFL wanted a team in New York. Two years later they had the best record in the league. In the 30s and 40s they continued their success, appearing in nine championships. The 60s and 70s, however, were bleak. In 1976 they moved to New Jersey, but the team would right the ship and win four Super Bowls afterwards, including beating an undefeated New England Patriots team in the 2007 season.

New York Jets

Founded in 1960 as the “Titans of New York,” the team survived three seasons before nearly going bankrupt. The new owner changed the name to the Jets, and in 1969, quarterback Joe Namath won Super Bowl III over the Baltimore Colts. It would take nearly 30 years (until 1998) for them to go on another deep playoff run. In 2009 and 2010 they returned to the AFC Championship Game, but lost both times.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills started as a part of the American Football League in 1960. It wasn’t until the late 80s that Buffalo produced a consistently dominant team with the help of quarterback Jim Kelly. The Bills with Kelly went to four consecutive Super Bowls, although they have yet to win a championship. Buffalo fans are sure to note that they are the only football team who play their home games in the state of New York, as the Jets and Giants both play in New Jersey.

New York Knicks

Starting in 1946, the New York Knickerbockers were named after the wardrobe of the Dutch, who first colonized New York in the 1600s. In 1970, Walt Frazier and Willis Reed took down the Los Angeles Lakers for their first championship and did so again in 1973. Luck struck in 1985 when the Knicks won the NBA’s first draft lottery and took Patrick Ewing, who was a mainstay for over a decade. The team has since struggled to build a title-contending roster, however, largely due to poor management.

Brooklyn Nets

After decades of playing in New Jersey, the Nets moved to Brooklyn in 2012. These new-look Nets have not shied away from making blockbuster moves, getting Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett in 2013. After a rebuild, Brooklyn signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in 2019 and instantly became favorites to win it all, though they have yet to seal the deal.

New York Liberty

A charter member of the WNBA, the Liberty were formed in late 1996. The next year they made the Finals, losing to the Houston Comets. The team was dominant through the rest of the 90s until 2002 when they lost in the Finals yet again – their fourth appearance without a championship. Unfortunately, the Liberty lost in the 2023 WNBA Finals, making the team 0-5 in the championship round.

New York Red Bulls

Established in 1994 before the start of the newly formed Major League Soccer, the team was originally called the MetroStars. After over a decade of mediocrity, the owners of Red Bull purchased the team and renamed it. The Red Bulls made the MLS Cup in 2008 but lost to the Columbus Crew.

New York City FC

In 2013, New York got its second MLS team when a group that included the New York Yankees funded the New York Football Club. It took eight years for the team to win the MLS Cup, beating the Portland Timbers on penalty kicks in 2021.

NY Sports Betting Payment Methods

For online sportsbooks, there are numerous ways you can fund your account.

You can use a debit or credit card, enter your banking information for an ACH transfer or use a PayPal account. Most of the time, the deposited funds show up immediately, allowing you to place a bet seconds after making a deposit.

Withdrawing funds will take longer (roughly 1-2 weeks) depending on the method you use.

The money can go into your bank account via a transfer, it can be sent to your PayPal or you can ask for a mailed check. Electronic methods tend to take 24-72 hours, while check by mail takes up to two weeks.

Bet Types at New York Sportsbooks

Point Spread:Spreads let you bet on any game despite an uneven matchup. Sportsbooks will set a number of points the favored team must win by to cash the bet.

If the last-place Jets are playing the Miami Dolphins, you may not want to put money on the Dolphins to win outright, but if you still win money if the Jets lose by less than five points that may change your mind.

Moneyline: The most straightforward bet: who will win? That’s what a moneyline bet is: a wager on the outcome. A first-place Bills team beating the Patriots may be priced at -400 (bet $400 to win $100). If you think an underdog can win, you could be very profitable. For example, picking the Knicks over Golden State could be +300 (bet $100 to win $300).

Over/Under: You can bet on the final score of the game – not who has the most points. This lets you bet on a game that you think will be low- or high-scoring.

Prop Bets: If you want to root for a specific player, prop bets are the way to go. These are specific wagers based on an individual player’s performance like Aaron Judge to hit a home run, RJ Barrett to make fewer than four three-pointers or Josh Allen to throw over 240 yards.

Futures: The riskiest bets—but often the highest odds— are in the futures market. Which team will win the Super Bowl, which player will win an individual award, etc. Patience is required because you will be waiting until the season ends before you can cash in.

Parlays:Parlays are when you combine multiple wagers into a single bet – it could be two bets together or much more. But if one bet doesn’t go your way the entire wager loses (even if the rest of your picks won). The benefit is that if you win (get all of your bets right), the payout will be much higher than if you bet each leg individually.

New York Sportsbook Taxes

Online sportsbooks are taxed at a 51% rate in New York.

The vast majority (98%) of tax revenue is designated for education funding. The remaining amount is split between a grant for youth sports and a problem gambling fund.

Retail sportsbooks are taxed at a 10% rate. The money is routed into education and property tax relief. Most of the money (80%) is devoted to these statewide programs, while 5% goes to the municipality where the retail sportsbook is located and 5% goes to the county. The final 10% goes to the surrounding counties.

To date, New York has collected more than $1 billion in taxes from sports betting.