New York Kicks Off Mobile Betting in Time for NFL Playoffs, College Football Championship

The timing is perfect.

The launch of New York sports betting on Saturday morning is happening on a weekend with major NFL and college football betting options.

Football games, especially NFL matchups, are the most heavily wagered sporting events in the country.

Starting at 9 a.m. ET on Saturday, New Yorkers age 21 and over can download betting apps on their smartphones and begin wagering from anywhere in the state. Major online bookmakers have already begun offering sign-up bonuses.

Big Apple Bettors Can Wager from Home

The launch was especially greeted with enthusiasm in the nation’s largest metropolitan area, New York City, with more than eight million residents.

The city’s bettors previously had to drive to New Jersey to place a mobile wager or head upstate a couple of hours to the New York casinos that have on-site sportsbooks with ticket windows.

Not anymore.

“All Bets Are On!” the New York Post tabloid newspaper proclaimed on its front cover Friday. “Mobile sports wagering starts in New York tomorrow.”

College Football Championship Decided Monday

NFL might be king in New York, but for those who are interested in college football betting, the launch provides an opportunity to wager on Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship, pitting No. 1 Alabama against No. 3 Georgia at Indianapolis. The game starts at 8 p.m. ET.

The latest odds on Caesars Sportsbook NY lists Alabama as a 2.5-point underdog. The Tide defeated Georgia 41-24 in the SEC Championship game in Atlanta in early December.

Important NFL Games on Tap This Weekend

This weekend, several games in the NFL’s full schedule have playoff implications, though two New York teams, the Jets and Giants, are out of contention. Another of three teams representing New York, the Buffalo Bills, already has a lock on a playoff spot.

After this weekend, the NFL playoffs begin, starting with the Wild Card games on Jan. 15.

The season concludes with the always popular Super Bowl betting, set this year for Feb. 13 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California.

Rush Street Interactive CEO Richard Schwartz summed up the perfect timing in launching statewide mobile sports betting on Saturday in New York.

“With the college football championship game on Jan. 10 and the NFL playoffs approaching, and the NBA and NHL seasons in full swing, in addition to countless other sports and betting options available for play, fans have endless entertainment at their fingertips,” he said.

Louisiana Hoping for Mobile Launch by Super Bowl Sunday

Other states that have given the green light to sports betting, but haven’t turned the switch on yet, undoubtedly are keeping an eye on New York’s outcome.

Industry insiders agree that capitalizing on NFL games has a big revenue upside.

In Louisiana, Ronnie Johns, chairman of the state Gaming Control Board, told Gambling.com the state launched its on-site sports betting program on Oct. 31 last year to coincide with a New Orleans Saints home game. The Saints played NFC South rival Tampa Bay that Sunday, upending the defending Super Bowl champion Buccaneers, 36-27.

With sportsbooks already operating inside Louisiana casinos, statewide mobile sports betting should be up and running by the end of January, Johns told Gambling.com.

A late-January startup would give online bookmakers time to ramp up for the Feb. 13 Super Bowl.

Ohio Months Away From Sports Betting

The situation is different in Ohio.

Although the state legalized sports wagering last month, bettors probably won’t be able to put any money on games until next football season. Gaming regulators in the Buckeye State still need to investigate license applicants and establish the rules to govern the industry.

Once sports betting is operational in Ohio, wagers will be accepted at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and kiosks. Bettors will also be able to use their smartphones and computers to place wagers.