New York casino license awards, sports betting expansion likely delayed until 2026, says Sen. Addabbo

New York’s long-awaited downstate casino licenses and an expansion of sports betting to cover individual player awards are unlikely to be approved before early 2026, State Senator Joseph Addabbo said, warning of lost revenue as neighboring states move ahead, as reported by Sportsboom. 

Eight companies are competing for three licenses to build the city’s first full-scale casinos, but Addabbo said the awards will likely be pushed back beyond an initial December 2025 target because the state legislature will not reconvene until January. Legal wagering on individual player awards would also not be available until the same timeframe.

“My colleagues (in the state legislature) are sometimes apprehensive, but I mention that New Yorkers are already making these types of prop bets in neighbouring states such as New Jersey and Connecticut,” Addabbo told SportsBoom.

“Also, the governor needs to know that New York is viewed nationally as an expanding U.S. market. We are currently losing $1 billion per year, and we need the revenue,” he added.

The legislature is not expected to act on Senate Bill 2025/2616, which would legalize bets on outcomes such as the Super Bowl MVP or NBA Rookie of the Year, until the budget process begins next year. Any changes would also require the approval of Governor Kathy Hochul.

“Even though we are doing $2.6 million in revenue, we’re never done. New Jersey does prop bets, we don’t. But New Yorkers are savvy, and they will go back to going out of state for these types of wagers,” Addabbo said.

Community Advisory Committees are still reviewing the proposals, which include frontrunners Empire City Casino in Yonkers and Resorts World New York at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Other bids cover sites in Times Square, Hudson Yards, Manhattan’s East Side, Citi Field in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn.

“We can never rest. We have to keep up with other states,” Addabbo said.

The winning applicants had been expected to be announced by Dec. 1, though the deadline is not binding and may slip further, adding uncertainty to a process that could reshape New York’s gambling market.