A New York legislator introduced a bill earlier this month that would ban all in-play sports betting in the state, a sweeping proposal that goes even further than two bills introduced in neighboring New Jersey targeting microbets.
Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan, is seeking to prohibit casinos and mobile sportsbooks from accepting any live wagers from bettors in New York.
Bill A9343, introduced Dec. 10 and referred to the Committee on Racing and Wagering, would remove “in-play bets” from the state’s legal definition of sports wagering. The legislation would take effect immediately upon passage.
The proposal would eliminate not just microbets — wagers on individual moments within a sporting event, like what might happen on the next pitch of a baseball game — but all wagers placed after a sporting event has begun.
The bill comes amid growing legislative momentum in the region to rein in rapid-fire sports betting. In New Jersey, two separate bills have been introduced to ban microbets specifically.
Across the river
Assemblyman Dan Hutchison, a Democrat who represents part of Atlantic County, introduced his bill over the summer. A companion bill in the state Senate, sponsored by Paul D. Moriarty and Patrick J. Diegnan Jr., includes detailed legislative findings outlining the case against microbetting.
“The pace at which sporting events are played, and therefore the pace at which micro bets can be placed, limits the ability of bettors to research and consider their wagers before placing them and enables bettors to place a higher volume of wagers in a shorter amount of time, contributing to excessive and irresponsible gambling,” the Senate bill states.
The New Jersey legislation also raises concerns about sports integrity, noting that microbets “are easier to fix than many more traditional forms of wagering” and may be “especially enticing to athletes who are already struggling with problem gambling.”
Both New Jersey bills have the backing of the National Council on Problem Gambling, which has cited a 277% increase in calls to its problem gambling helpline since the legalization of sports wagering. The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey has endorsed the effort as well.
“By eliminating microbetting, this legislation would take an essential step toward protecting citizens from the harmful effects of reckless gambling practices,” Luis Del Orbe, executive director of the council, said in a statement supporting the Hutchison bill.
Violators of the proposed New Jersey ban would face a disorderly persons offense and fines ranging from $500 to $1,000 per violation.
There are no laws in the United States banning in-play betting or microbetting, though France has outlawed microbets. New Jersey led the charge to legalize sports betting nationally, winning a 2018 Supreme Court case that struck down the federal ban on sports wagering outside Nevada.
