It’s no secret that New Yorkers love their sports teams. When the opportunity arises to wager on those teams legally, the surest bet on the planet is NY bettors will be signing on instantly to do just that. With two groups of online bookmakers preparing to take online bets in New York, sports bettors and fans don’t have much longer to wait.

Of course sports betting has actually been legal and available in New York for more than two years. Unfortunately for most sports bettors, access is limited to retail sportsbooks in the northern part of the state. All of that changed in April of 2021 when the state legislature agreed to allow mobile sports betting. It then became a matter of the timeline for implementation.

It took a few months to agree upon an online sports betting model. The New York State Gaming Commission eventually approved two groups to receive licenses. The first is led by Kambi Group and includes online operators Rush Street Interactive, Caesars Sportsbook, Wynn Interactive, PointsBet, and Resorts World. The second group is led by Fanduel and includes DraftKings, BetMGM, and Bally Bet.

At this point, it’s just a matter of weeks before New Yorkers will be betting on sports. In all likelihood, a lot of the New York sports betting activity will be focused on local professional sports. So what do Knicks, Nets, Giants and Jets fans have to look forward to?

 

NFL Betting In New York

There is hope that New York online betting could launch in time for the NFL playoffs. While January might prove too soon, it would be a major disappointment if it wasn’t live by the Super Bowl. In either case it seems unlikely local fans will have a chance to bet online on the New York Giants or New York Jets this season.

We know that because both teams are bottom dwellers in their respective conferences. The Giants are currently 4-7 and 3 games behind the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC East. It doesn’t seem likely they will catch the Cowboys and a Wild Card spot seems out of reach.

The Jets are even more unlikely to be playing beyond the first week of 2022. In fact, they have no chance with a current record of 3-8 and a team that is still looking to find its identity. Maybe New York football fans can make future odds bets related to the 2022-2023 season?

 

NBA Betting Prospects

So it looks like at launch the attention of home town supporters will be on the NBA. Loyal New Yorkers will be turning to their New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets for bets involving local interest. The question is, will their loyalty be profitable?

With the NBA just finishing up its first full month of action, both teams are actually in pretty good shape. Somewhat surprisingly, the Knicks are currently sitting at 11-9, slightly exceeding expectations. The team’s record of 6-3 on the road bodes well for a team that is playing in the Eastern Conference which looks deep and very competitive. They don’t have the superstar presence that other rosters offer, but they are playing well as a team with six players currently averaging double figures.

The prospects for the Nets are even brighter. Even with Kyrie Irving sitting out due to personal issues, the Nets are leading the Eastern Conference with a record of 14-6. And while the performance of the Knicks might be a little surprising, the Nets are playing as advertised.

 

Talented Nets Best Bet

They are a team packed with talent, led by the superstar duo of Kevin Durant and James Harden. Durant is currently leading the NBA in scoring at 28.6 PPG. The fact he is shooting 54.5 from the field and over 41% from beyond the arc bodes well for the rest of the season. Both of these numbers are well above his career averages.

Much credit goes to Harden who has been a perennial NBA scoring leader heading into this season. With an average of 20.3 PPG, he is below his career average of 25.0 PPG. However, his assists are way up at 9.4 APG.

At this point, the pent-up desire to legally place online sports bets in New York is palpable. Once the flood gates open, it will be interesting to see what kind of total handle numbers the state will produce. Is New Jersey’s reign as king of legal betting states about to come to an end?

New York is the first of the “Big Four” states to legalize online sports betting. You can be sure California, Florida and Texas will be watching developments with interest.