Posted on: Feb 27, 2023 06:39 am.
Last updated on: February 27, 2023 07:26.
Gambling in New York is not as fun as it could be, especially sports betting. In a market saturated with gambling options ranging from the state lottery to boarding a subway and hoping you don’t get mugged, there is a way to make things better for the bettor.
The Empire State Building looms over the New York City skyline. New York state lawmakers want Gov. Kathy Hochul to sign a bill establishing a Problem Gambling Advisory Council to help identify the causes of problem gambling and make treatment options more universally acceptable statewide. (Image: Bobby Mikul/PublicDomainPictures.net)
And as we know, as the year progresses, the betting options continue to grow as the State Gambling Commission issues at least two downstate casino licenses, one at Empire City Casino in Yonkers (owned by MGM) and the other at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens ( owned by Genting of Malaysia).
A third is given out to one of the groups competing for it, with Manhattan and the Bronx being the newest attractions. That’ll eat up some of the competition when it comes to competing for available gambling dollars, and the nine sportsbooks operating in New York could do a few things themselves to make their brands more appealing.
So we’re giving them some ideas while also asking the State Gambling Commission to adopt some of the measures proposed by Rep. J. Gary Pretlow that we’ve reported on here.
RELATED: NY Rep. J. Gary Pretlow Shares 2023 Vision for State Sports Betting
Let us begin:
The Tier One companies
DraftKings Sportsbook: Please relax the rules of the game to do-it-yourself. Earlier this NBA season, this author was able to parlay a certain player with a triple-double with another player with a double-double. Now these parlays are no longer allowed. The pre-made same game parlays are fine, but they take the choice out of the hands of players doing their homework on this stuff.
FanDuel Sportsbook: This advice applies to all nine NY books: offer something to existing customers. DK does it better with opt-ins available daily (today is a week-long NBA pick ’em pool). The FanDuel homepage has only one offer: refer a friend and you both get $50 in bonus bets. Memo to FD: Anyone who wants to play in New York (in many of your other markets) is already playing. Only a very limited pool of new customers is available.
BetMGM: Please put some public pressure on the state legislatures to issue the first two state casino licenses. This would allow BetMGM to open a sportsbook lounge at the old Yonkers Raceway. Under current regulations, a commercial casino license must first be obtained before construction of a sports betting salon at Empire City Casino can begin. Getting things done in New York doesn’t have to take forever. And video lottery terminals are no fun.
New to the floor of Empire City 🎰
Have you played mighty money yet? 💰
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Check out some of our other new games here 👉 https://t.co/D1IiJx1zh1 pic.twitter.com/pFwLb3ZNmW
— Empire City Casino (@EmpireCCasino) February 23, 2023
Tier 2 sports betting
Caesar’s Sportsbook: The pre-made parlay options and boosts are more extensive here than in DraftKings and FanDuel, but the reward options are too sparse. Also, hire a website designer who can make the sports betting site easier to navigate. No scroll bar on the right side of the page? Really? It’s not that difficult.
PointsBet.com: We used to love the name a bet option because it worked and we could get promotions on bets that we couldn’t find elsewhere. But this component is no longer functional when it comes to placing a “name bet” in the bet menu. Our last attempts failed. Why not also provide customer service representatives over the phone like they are in New Jersey? One of the books could do this unilaterally, rather than waiting for the state to mandate it.
BetRivers.com: These guys seem to have some smart traders setting their lines. In the past, the betting lines at BetRivers were unrealistic and therefore good for the player. That has changed in the last six months. Good for the book, not good for the player, as we’ve pointed out in this article on Yankees future bets. Keep up the good stuff on social media.
Houston with the catch of the season and it’s only February pic.twitter.com/y487Tm4GQx
— BetRivers Sportsbook (@BetRivers) February 26, 2023
The third level of sports betting
WynnBet: Please open the company purse. Right now the best offer at WynnBet is to place a bet of $100 at odds of -120 or higher and get a $5 free bet. You may not have heard it, but $5 won’t get you what it once did. Customer loyalty is based on treating your customers better than the competition. That’s missing here.
ResortsWorld Bet: We are big fans of your Monticello poker room and the affiliated sportsbook closest to New York City (excluding the Meadowlands) where anyone can participate in the collaborative gaming experience. This company is owned by Genting, who also owns Aqueduct Racetrack and will be granted a downstate casino license. It was cool to offer a free hoodie in February. Please offer something better in March.
BallyBet: Please offer futures markets. They have all been online since July and we understand the whole Sinclair/Diamond disaster and how it is affecting regional sports networks that this dysfunction should not spill over into the sportsbook. If it’s that grim, please try to find a way to sell your New York license to BetFanatics.
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