New York sportsbook licenses could be in high demand in the state. Typically, casinos are given one license each. The only issue is that there would only be seven licenses up for grabs – and they are already taken.
Currently, there are four commercial casinos in New York and three Native American gaming tribes. Only having seven sports betting licenses up for grabs would be a huge issue. For this reason, New York is discussing a two-skin model. This would allow New York casinos to partner with two sportsbooks and bring more to the market.
These licenses are known as “skins” and casinos are not waiting for an official announcement to begin distributing them. Last week, Rivers Casino in Schenectady reached an agreement with Penn National Gaming. Rivers Casino also operates BetRivers Sportsbook.
Conversely, Rivers Casino will be using its first license or “skin” for its BetRivers platform. It would then use its second skin to license Barstool Sportsbook – if New York allows for it.
Moreover, nothing is official in this proposed two-skin model. Even so, sportsbooks want to get ahead of the curve. If the two-skin model is not adopted, sportsbooks will have to get even more creative to operate in New York.
Current New York Sportsbook Licenses Deals
Below is the list of sportsbooks with agreements within the state. They are all the first skins. Furthermore, this all but guarantees each sportsbook’s launch if New York legalizes mobile sports betting using a casino-tethered model.
DraftKings Sportsbook
Partner: del Lago Resort in Waterloo, New York.
BetRivers Sportsbook
BetRivers operates in Pennsylvania, Indiana, Michigan, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Tennessee, Virginia, and New Jersey (as SugarHouse).
FanDuel Sportsbook
FanDuel Sportsbook is partnered with Tioga Downs and Casino in Nichols, NY.
Caesars/William Hill
Caesars/William Hill partnered with the Oneida Indian Nation. Oneida National owns Turning Stone Resort Casino.
Stars Group (FOXBet)
Partner: Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe. They operate retail betting with IGT’s PlaySports technology. In the case of Stars Group, they would operate to bring FOXBet to the state.
Bet365 Sportsbook
Partnered with Resorts World Catskills – Bet365 is in a perfect situation to launch in New York.
BetMGM Sportsbook
BetMGM theoretically does not need a partner to launch their mobile sports betting platform. MGM owns Yonkers Raceway & Empire City Casino. However, the current legislation does not grant the company market access through the Racetrack. This is an important detail and is something worth monitoring for BetMGM Sportsbook.
Sportsbooks That Will Need Second Skin Agreements
These sportsbooks will need help from Governor Cuomo and New York legislatures. If casinos are given second skin operation opportunities, these sportsbooks should be able to launch in New York. Nevertheless, these sportsbooks will need a deal with casinos in order to gain access to the NY market.
Barstool Sportsbook
Barstool Sportsbook is live in just Michigan and Pennsylvania. They are expected to rapidly expand this year and this could culminate with their New York Partnership. Of course, they would work with Rivers Casino as their second skin operator if allowed.
PointsBet Sportsbook
Live in Colorado, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, and New Jersey – PointsBet has been rapidly growing over the past few years.
Golden Nugget Sportsbook
Golden Nugget is publicly traded and owned by Houston Rockets owner Tillman Fertitta. The company already has a second skin deal locked in with Tioga Downs, giving the property two huge partners in Golden Nugget and FanDuel.
WynnBET Sportsbook
WynnBET has no operations in New York so they will need to operate as a second skin to a casino. The platform recently launched in Colorado and New Jersey. Plus, WynnBET has a Michigan online casino and sportsbook live.
TwinSpires Sportsbook (Formerly BetAmerica)
Mostly known as a horse racing app, TwinSpires has taken over the underperforming BetAmerica. They will need to work with a casino as a second skin operator.
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