There is mounting pressure being placed on Andrew Cuomo, the current governor of New York. Cuomo considered the state budget in March during the coronavirus pandemic.
He had made statements before the budget rulings about online sports betting. Advocates of online sports betting in the Empire State were very hopeful that Cuomo would green-light the online sports betting bill.
Advocates and proponents of mobile sports betting were hopeful that it would pass, and allow the state to recoup some of the losses. More and more states are expected to legalize sports betting in the states.
Sports betting is up and running in New York; however, mobile sports betting is not legal, and the Governor had a few different opportunities to give it the green light. He decided for reasons only known to him to not include online sports betting in the last budget. Cuomo has his hands full fighting the coronavirus in New York City and the rest of the state.
Cuomo Has Been Dealing With The Impact Of The Coronavirus
The deaths and long-term illnesses directly related to the coronavirus has been a daunting task for the Governor. He has been praised by many residents for taking an active leadership role during the pandemic, with daily updates to the people of the Empire State.
With the praise come the detractors that have lambasted him for being extremely short-sighted when it comes to online sports betting. With the virus being the culprit in forcing all sporting events to stop, the available revenue from sports betting for the state has stalled greatly.
Allowing online sports betting in the meantime would be a jolt for the local economy, sponsors of the bill are saying. The Governor’s most vocal nemesis is also the biggest supporter of mobile sports betting.
State Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. has been front and center in getting sports betting passed and launched since day one. Addabbo openly criticized Cuomo in March, when he refused to include mobile sports betting in the new budget.
The Senator said he was extremely sympathetic to Cuomo and the pressure he was dealing with regarding the virus. However, “New York must try to generate funds for programs during this nightmarish economic shutdown,” Addabbo said.
Addabbo Is On To A New Way To Get Mobile Sports Betting
People in Addabbo’s camp say, “If one can say anything about Joe, they will say he’s a fighter that never gives up.” His new endeavor called, “Plan, Pass and Prepare” is a shortcut to getting his mobile online sports bill passed.
That’s the good news Addabbo said; the bad news is that it probably won’t be able to pass until December of 2020 with it being launched in 2021. Addabbo further elaborated by saying, “Every day I am mindful of the negative impact the coronavirus has inflicted on our state. This is an unprecedented time we are facing right now, but it also presents us with an unprecedented opportunity. In terms of sporting events, which are shut down because of the global health crisis, we can utilize this time to institute a Plan, Pass and Prepare mobile sports betting legislative strategy.”
Whenever the bill is signed into law, state gaming officials can have time to prepare for the sports shutdown to be over and get ready to officially launch mobile sports betting. Addabbo said, “There is no other way, there are so many ways the state can make money quickly, that will be a pivotal point going forward, as we will be cash strapped for a long time.”
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Bethany has been working in online gambling for over 13 years. She got her start in the industry as her first job after graduating from the Professional Writing Program at York University. Having written for many online gaming publications and worked with top casino operators, she has unique insight into the gambling market. Bethany maintains a personal interest in iGaming as she continues to play poker online as a hobby.