New York Lawmakers Seek Tighter Controls on Mobile Sports Betting Promotions

Woerner stressed the need for action, stating, “We need to do a better job of putting guardrails, putting some regulations, around mobile sports betting.” The legislative debate must balance managing the existing mobile betting market with ongoing discussions about legalizing other forms of i-gaming.

Focus on Limiting Promotional Targeting

The primary concern among lawmakers centers on the promotions offered by licensed sportsbooks. Testimony presented to the committee indicated that advertising is heavily and effectively “targeted at specific age groups, the younger age groups, to bring them in.”

Lawmakers believe these incentives contribute to problem gambling among vulnerable populations. Woerner specified that a goal of the new regulations will be to “minimize the amount of promotional play that somebody gets to keep them betting.” This effort is rooted in protecting young adults and those most at risk for developing gambling issues.

Proposing New Player Safety Measures

The legislative hearings in Albany included discussions on several specific regulatory tools designed to enhance player safety. These proposed “guardrails” extend beyond advertising limits to focus on actual player activity.

Measures discussed for possible inclusion in the bill package involve placing direct constraints on wagering:

• Affordability Checks: These were “quite widely discussed” and would require evaluating whether a player can financially sustain their gambling habits at a certain level.
• Betting Limits: Legislators considered imposing limits on the total amount of money wagered and placing time restrictions around when bets can be placed.

Republican Assemblymember Scott Gray noted that while personal responsibility is a factor, the state becomes obligated to act when problem gambling affects the cost of other state programs, such as social assistance and treatment.

Legalization and the Illegal Market

Woerner addressed the argument that increased regulation might push players away from the legal market and back toward illegal options. She countered that the current legal sports betting system has already succeeded in drawing a large number of people to a regulated environment.

She argued that far more people are now wagering on the legal market than were previously betting with bookmakers. Woerner stated, “There were people who bet on sports through bookies before, but there’s a whole lot more people who are betting on the legal sports market and I think that’s the way to look at it.” This view suggests lawmakers are confident that stronger consumer protections will not significantly erode the legal market share.