The state of New York appears to be pushing towards sports betting as fast as it can. When it comes to online sports betting however, they make want to check the latest polls before they go too far too soon.
The latest research from the Siena College Research Institute (SCRI) indicates that New Yorkers are evenly split on if the state should allow online sports betting. Their research shows, “Equal percentages, 44 percent support and 44 percent oppose broadening the current sports betting law to allow for online sports betting.”
They provide a deep dive on the numbers to show where the support and opposition are. Generally, voters are aware that sports betting is coming to upstate casinos, but are very split on allowing it online. Democrats lean towards opposing it while republicans support it. City dwellers can’t make up their minds on the topic, but suburban citizens are slightly in favor. In a split that shouldn’t be shocking, men want online gambling, while women don’t.
The expectation is that these citizens will get their say in the matter, as it has generally been expected that the state would need to vote on an amendment to their constitution before they could broaden current gambling regulations.
Two legislators have recently proposed a scheme to get online sports betting without a state wide vote, by working within the confines of the Wire Act. At the time, they encouraged the people to let the governor know how much they clamored for online sports betting.
The split of public opinion isn’t likely to hold back the march towards legalized online sports betting. Neighboring states like New Jersey have already opened up to the activity and are bringing in record revenues as a result. The longer New York stays out of the game, the more likely it will be that those city dwellers will take the short trip to the Garden State to place their bets, than the long drive upstate.
