Addabbo: Only computer servers stand in the way of online sports wagering

New York has the rules for mobile sports wagering. We even have the companies that will operate online platforms. Now the state just needs an agreement on locating the computer servers that will handle future bets, according to Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Chair Joe Addabbo.

“These operators know what they’re doing, and so therefore, they are capable of taking the mobile sports bet tomorrow, if we allowed them to,” the Queens Democrat told The Capitol Pressroom. “But right now … the Gaming Commission is still figuring out and working out the negotiations with the servers.”

When will that be completed? “Who knows,” said Addabbo, who is expecting an update from state regulators in the near future.

The gambling champion doesn’t foresee any complications in the future with locating and operating the computer servers, which need to be housed at one of the state’s four full-scale casinos, in order to comply with existing restrictions in New York (although some might argue that online sports gambling is unconstitutional regardless of where computer servers are located).

In 2022, Addabbo plans on pushing legislation that will allow New Yorkers to bet on horse races from the new mobile platforms and place sports bets from kiosks at different locations around the state, such as sporting venues.