New York residents are expected to place their first sports bets as early as Tuesday at a Schenectady-based casino resort.
Rivers Casino & Resort is set to become the first upstate casino to provide sports wagering after the official approval from the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC).
Although the venue was expecting the green light on Monday, its spokesman Al Roney was confident that they would hold a ribbon cutting ceremony on Tuesday morning.
CEO of Rivers Casino Greg Carlin hopes that the residents will come to gamble upstate, adding that the venue is not far from New York City.
The newly designed Rivers Sportsbook stretches across 5,000 square feet, featuring 14 betting kiosks and six gambling windows. Bettors can opt for various wagers, including totals and parlays.
New York is introducing sports betting one year following New Jersey’s legalization, but unlike the neighbouring state, it won’t permit mobile sports betting.
Sen. Joe Addabbo touched upon this, saying that New York was deprived of tens of millions in revenue as it didn’t legalize mobile sports wagering.
On June 10, the NYSGC allowed four upstate casinos to launch sports gambling.