New Yorkers Are Split On Online Sports Betting

New York – A poll was recently conducted by Sienna College in New York and it shows that the state’s residents are evenly split when it comes to online sports betting. 

The question the poll asked was “the state is expected to soon allow for sports betting at the four upstate commercial casinos. Do you support or oppose broadening the sports betting law to allow for online sports betting?”

The Results Of The Poll

The result of the survey is very interesting. 778 of voters answered this question and 44 percent of them say they support it and 44 percent of them oppose it. The other 12 percent said they didn’t know or had no opinion on the matter. The demographics of the poll gives a bit more insight on why the voters answered the way that they did. 

When it came to upstate New Yorkers, they were more likely to oppose online sports betting. Residents from New York City were evenly split on the issue, 44 percent to 44 percent. Those making $100,000 or more were more likely in favor for online sports wagering while lower income voters were more likely to be opposed. 

On the political spectrum, Republicans were more likely to favor online sports wagering than Democrats, but Independents said they were in favor more than Republicans. Men typically favored online sports wagering more so than women did. With the results of the poll, it could be possible that online sports betting could be delayed in New York.

What This Could Mean For Lawmakers

These results do not help the case of lawmakers who are pushing for online sports wagering for the state. Governor Andrew Cuomo believes that in order for online sports wagering to take place in the state, a constitutional amendment is required. If that ends up being the case, that would delay online sports wagering for nearly three years. 

Senator Joseph Addabbo does not agree with Governor Cuomo on this issue. “Without the online aspect in sports betting, we’re really shortchanging our state,” said Addabbo. “We’ve got to figure out a way to interpret our constitution more broadly to incorporate the mobile aspect. Hopefully the governor can get on the same page.” 

Addabbo believes that residents of New York city would not likely drive 100 miles upstate to bet on sports when they can easily go to New Jersey and make their bets on a casino that is just 15 miles away. Addabbo wants the revenue that they are losing to New Jersey to come back to New York and that is why he is pushing for online sports betting. 

It Could Go Either Way

With this new poll, an argument can be made on either side to push for online sports betting. If the Governor sees this poll and decides since the voters are evenly split, he can go ahead and start amending the constitution to allow for sports betting which is a three-year process. Lawmakers can also use the survey to convince the Governor that they don’t need a constitutional amendment and satisfy the needs of the voters who want online betting. Only time will tell how this poll will influence online sports betting in New York.