Some are calling it the biggest day in the history of sports betting in America. On January 8th at 9 A.M., New York online sports betting went live. This was the moment eager New York sports fans had been anticipating for so long.

It was also a marquee moment for supporters of legal wagering. The prestige and influence of a state like New York legalizing and launching online betting cannot be underestimated.

Four of the licensed apps went live at launch. They were Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, BetRivers and FanDuel. The pent-up demand for legal mobile wagering even caused the Caesars servers to go down at one stage but normal service resumed before long.

 

Good Timing

The timing was good with the final weekend of NFL regular season play taking place. It also helped that at least one home-state NFL team is performing at a high level. The Bills took Divisional honors once again in the AFC East. On top of this, the BCS National Championship game takes place on Monday, January 10th. Perhaps college football doesn’t hold as much interest in the northeast but this all-SEC affair between Georgia and Alabama should still trigger plenty of action.

The biggest news on the promo side was the signup offer from Caesars. They are giving new users in the Empire State a 100% first deposit match up to a whopping $3,000. For comparison, the normal offer in other states is up to $1,000. On top of this they are also providing $300 in free bets for new users with some conditions. This is a limited time offer, currently slated to run until the end of January.

Further good new for New Yorkers is the choice of apps will only grow bigger over time. BetMGM and PointsBet are just two of the other popular brands coming to New York. The biggest loser in the new equation may be New Jersey sports betting. Up until now, up to 20% of the NJ betting handle came from New York residents.

New Jersey has also been leading the nation in online betting handle for the past two years. With NY now in the mix, it likely won’t be long before the new king of US sports betting is crowned.