Avoid Risky Bets

If you are of-age and want to wager online in New York State, here's what's legal:

Everything else—online casinos (including ones that claim they are sweepstakes), prediction markets, offshore sites, etc. – is unlawful in New York State.

New Yorkers are strongly encouraged to stay away from these bets. These operators, despite any claims they may make, are not required to have certain patron protections, safeguards against underage play and gambling harms, approved house rules, or wager integrity controls in place.

Know the Signs
You may be making a risky bet if...

• The operator is not licensed or regulated by the New York State Gaming Commission
• The website/application has no customer service, “about” link or contact information
• The operator is located outside the United States
• The game has no age-restriction controls
• The operator has no responsible gaming measures in place (i.e., ability to self-exclude, cool off periods, etc.)
Individuals using mobile devices
Unlawful Gambling: Prediction and Offshore Markets
What's the Risk?
Provides No Societal Benefit

Unlike regulated gaming, the unlawful market contributes no gaming tax revenue to important causes and instead siphons revenue from schools, local governments, and charitable organizations across the state, including resources to combat gambling harms.

Enables Youth Access

The minimum age to wager on prediction markets and many offshore platforms is 18 instead of 21, the legal age to place a sports wager in New York State. The unlawful market has no safeguards to prevent underage use, which leaves youth susceptible to the very real dangers of gambling harms. These platforms do not comply with New York requirements to avoid marketing to underage individuals, such as on college campuses.

Fails to Protect Consumers

Unlawful operators have little to no recourse or customer service to resolve disputes. They permit predatory market makers to profit off patrons of all ages.  Such operators may have no required anti-money laundering (AML) or know-your-customer (KYC) controls in place, leaving patrons’ funds, activities, and information at-risk. Patrons may be unwittingly supporting organized crime through making bets.

Unlawful Gambling Markets

Why Choose Lawful, Regulated Gambling?

  • Protection Protects players, the public, and the licensed operators
  • Oversight Operates under rigorous oversight to ensure integrity, transparency, patron protections, and responsible-gaming requirements
  • State Revenue Generates billions of dollars for education, governments, tribal communities, charities, and more

Frequently Asked Questions

Why bet with only lawful, regulated gaming operators?
  • New York State’s gambling regulation provides bettors with confidence that they are wagering with a legitimate operator
  • Lawful operators are required to have player protections, including Anti-Money Laundering (AML) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) requirements, in place to protect players and minors
  • Licensed operators have effective safeguards against underage/youth gambling
  • Regulated operators give patrons the ability to cool off from gambling or self-exclude altogether and ensure prompt access to help for those who need it
What does regulated gaming offer versus the unlawful market doesn’t?
  • The minimum age for regulated sports wagering in New York is 21 vs. 18 (or younger) in the unlawful market
  • Licensing and suitability requirements for operators ensure legitimacy vs. faceless, contactless entities with no paper trail or accountability and uncertain potential ties to criminal enterprises
  • Mandatory AML and KYC requirements vs. potentially lax controls that allow bad actors to rip off others
  • Mandatory and effective responsible gaming resources, including self-exclusion programs vs. no help or assistance for those in crisis and/or exhibiting signs of gambling harms
  • Independent integrity monitoring and compliance audits to prevent fraud and mismanagement vs. potentially unaccountable recordkeeping and non-existent controls
  • Assistance to sports leagues and colleges in identifying suspicious betting patterns that can help uncover illegal match-fixing schemes and ensure the integrity of games we all enjoy watching
What’s so bad about betting with an unlawful operator?
  • Bettors may not know who (or what) is behind the wager or the platform. There’s no record of who profits, who the bettor is playing against, etc.
  • There are often no or limited controls to prevent the premature or illicit exchange of information to fix a bet or launder money
  • Unlawful operators have loose age restrictions that enable underage access
  • These entities have no responsible gaming measures in place – they only seek to profit
  • They provide no benefit to the community – no gaming revenue goes to New York State
  • They provide no assistance to leagues and colleges to detect suspicious bets and combat match-fixing
Does it really matter where I bet?
  • The unlawful market is often faceless. Who or what profits from your wager?
  • The unlawful market is pervasive. Unwitting patrons are spending hard-earned money on sites that have no safeguards or player protections
  • The most susceptible population—our youth—is especially at risk because of the pervasiveness and availability of the unlawful market. The unlawful market does not employ requisite gambling harm warnings or resources.
  • Regulated, licensed gambling preserves wager integrity and holds operators accountable
Take Action
The NYS Gaming Commission has jurisdiction over all lawful gaming activities within New York State, including sports wagering. New Yorkers with concerns regarding possible unlawful gambling can take action: