A sixth online sportsbook has now gone live in New York: PointsBet.
Australia-based PointsBet Holdings Ltd. announced Tuesday that its wholly-owned subsidiary had successfully launched mobile and online sports betting in the Empire State and had taken its first wager on Monday night.
New York is now the ninth U.S. state in which PointsBet is operational, the company said.
"Launching in New York is a significant milestone for PointsBet, being one of nine approved online sports betting operators in the state,” said Johnny Aitken, PointsBet USA CEO, in a press release. “New York’s passionate sports fans and bettors will now have access to the fastest online sports betting product in market, with a live, in-game betting experience that PointsBet controls through our proprietary technology and world-class team.”
A brief history
The New York State Gaming Commission announced on January 6 that it had approved four mobile sports wagering operators to start doing business in the state on Saturday, January 8. The four sportsbooks authorized at that time and currently doing business in the state are BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, and FanDuel.
That, however, left five other online sportsbook operators waiting for the green light. Bally Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, Resorts World, and WynnBET were still working towards satisfying the various legal and regulatory requirements needed to be launched and would be approved on a rolling basis when those criteria were met, the gaming commission said in a press release.
BetMGM then received the necessary approvals from regulators and launched in New York on January 17, becoming the fifth online sportsbook operator to do so. PointsBet is now the sixth.
It’s more wind in the sails of New York’s nascent mobile wagering market, which is already showing signs of being one of the biggest in the United States. New York lawmakers approved online sports betting during last year’s budget process; up until then, sports betting was only legally available in the state at certain casinos.
“This marks a momentous day for PointsBet in officially launching within the state of New York, poised to be one of the largest markets in the United States," PointsBet Group CEO and Managing Director Sam Swanell said in the release. "The PointsBet team is excited to prove our reputation and consistent ability to deliver a world-class experience to New York sports bettors."
