Mobile sports wagering could start on Saturday

New Yorkers could start (legally) betting on sports from the comfort of their home as soon as Saturday, according to a press release from the state Gaming Commission.

Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Rush Street Interactive have all completed the regulatory and logistical steps needed to take sports bets over their online applications and have been approved to start mobile operations as early as 9 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 8. It’s up to the operators to decide when they’re ready to start accepting bets, but the smart money is on operations being up and running on Saturday.

“We’re delighted the FanDuel Sportsbook has received approval from the New York State Gaming Commission to be live on Saturday bringing the excitement of America’s #1 Sportsbook to the passionate fans of New York,” FanDuel spokesman Chris Jones said Thursday.

There are five additional companies that have been approved to offer mobile sports wagering in New York, but state regulators indicated that they’re still working to complete the legal obligations needed to operate. The Gaming Commission said they will approve the launch of the remaining operations on a rolling basis, as their outstanding requirements are met.

In December, Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee Chair Joe Addabbo indicated that the only hurdle left to clear for the start of mobile sports wagering were the servers needed to actually accept and process bets. In an attempt to comply with the state constitution, servers are being located at upstate casinos, which receive a multi-million dollar hosting fee for their trouble.