The Push for Online Casino Gambling Continues in New York

January 15, 2026

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Starting in 2022, the New York state legislature started the process of legalizing online casino gambling. That was the same year that legalized online sports betting was launched throughout the state.

The road has been long and hard for online casino advocates in "The Big Apple." Leading the charge from the beginning has been Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr, a republican. He sponsored bills in 2022, 2023, and 2024, all of which failed due to politics and concerns raised by unions regarding the probable loss of jobs in the retail casino sector, which operates largely in the upper part of the state.

Not to be discouraged, Sen. Addabbo came back in 2025 with another attempt to bring online casino gambling to residents. The bill, Senate Bill 2614, started gaining traction as concerns over the infiltration of offshore and sweepstakes casinos started progressing. With these casinos operating without oversight and impunity, it became clear that hundreds of millions of dollars and potential tax revenue were being lost as money was flowing elsewhere. That served as a wake-up call for a state that has been operating at a large deficit for many years.

Senator is back again in 2026 with the same bill in hand. While progress was slow in 2025, there was progress. The main holdups were the state's downstate casino licensing issues and struggles to get retail casinos approved in New York City.

With the need for more tax revenue increasing by the day, it seems that lawmakers are looking at the potential of iGaming access more seriously. Some experts believe that passing such legislation could boost the state's coffers by as much as $1 billion. Sen. Addabbo wants to strike again while the iron is hot.

Here are some of the key provisions in SB 2614:

• Licensed operators would be allowed to offer slots, table games, and maybe poker


• The proposed tax rate would be about 30% of net gaming revenue, with the proceeds going largely to education and state infrastructure


• Initial licensing fees would be $2 million for operators, while platform providers would need to pay $10 million for the first 10 years


• Each provider would be restricted to one skin, with the server required to be located within the state's boundaries


• Operators would be required to set deposit limits, perform mandatory age checks, and provide funds to support problem gambling education and treatment


• Online casino gambling would be regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission
  

In conjunction with the push for the legalization of online casino gambling, state regulators are preparing to enforce bans on sweepstakes casinos that are serving residents. Cease-and-desist letters have been sent to social online gambling sites that offer the "dual currently" system. While these dual currency systems give users free gold coins with no redemption value, they also give sweeps coins that can be used to participate in tournaments and special drawings where real prizes are given out to winners.