New York’s hopes for online poker and casino-style iGaming legalization in 2024 have been dashed after the state’s Assembly and Senate chambers revealed that online gambling provisions, including online poker, were left out of the 2024 fiscal year budget.
This omission from both chambers’ budgets completes a series of setbacks for online gambling in New York, following the exclusion of iGaming from Governor Kathy Hochul’s proposed $227 billion FY2024 budget earlier this year. The absence of online poker and casino gambling provisions in the state’s legislative budget means that New York’s ongoing push for legalizing online poker will have to wait until at least 2024.
The Legislative Setback
Earlier this year, NY Assemblyman Gary Pretlow and NY State Senator Joseph Addabbo introduced bills—AB 1380 and a companion bill, respectively—that sought to legalize online poker in New York by reclassifying poker as a game of skill. This would have allowed online poker to follow a similar legalization path as daily fantasy sports (DFS), which were legalized in the state in the past. However, the absence of support for these bills in the final budget has pushed their progression back.
The Ongoing Struggle for Legalization
The failure to include online poker in the state budget represents the latest hurdle in New York’s long-running battle for iGaming legalization, a process that has faced repeated setbacks over the past decade. One of the key issues has been the parallel struggle to legalize sports betting. Sports betting took several years before finally being approved in 2019, and the controversy surrounding DFS legality in the state complicated discussions about broader online gaming legislation.
The combination of these legislative challenges has led to online poker continuing to be sidelined in New York, despite several attempts by lawmakers to pass bills.
What’s Next for Online Poker in New York?
With iGaming provisions omitted from the 2024 budget, the focus will shift to the next legislative session. Lawmakers will need to regroup and potentially reintroduce bills for online poker and casino-style gambling in future years. However, with the continued legal battles around DFS and sports betting, it remains uncertain when or if online poker will make its way onto New York’s legal gambling landscape.
For now, poker players in the Empire State will have to wait and hope for a more favorable political climate in the coming years.
