NYC Sports Betting Guide

With limited opportunities for retail sports betting within the five boroughs of the Big Apple, and the prohibition on online sports betting yet to be lifted, New Yorkers have had to use shady offshore bookies or cross over into New Jersey to place their wagers.

That all over soon as New York has launched online sports betting. That means residents of America's biggest city need to prepare. We've put together this helpful little guide to help you get ready once the action is underway.

In advance of the laws officially being initiated, 9 sportsbooks have been granted licenses to launch as soon as possible. The full list includes Bally Bet, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, PointsBet, Resorts World Bet, and WynnBET.

While those operators have been approved, only PointsBet, FanDuel, Caesars, BetMGM, DraftKings, and BetRivers are currently available.

We've power ranked some of the top options available, specifically for New York City bettors, so take a look and put yourself in the best position to succeed at kick-off.

Best Sites for NYC Sports Betting

1. FanDuel Sportsbook - Retail at Meadowlands Race Track
2. Caesars Sportsbook - Partnered with Rangers and Knicks
3. PointsBet - Fun ways to bet on New York teams
4. BetMGM - Great Parlay betting
5. DraftKings Sportsbook - DFS and sports betting
6. WynnBET - Jets' sponsor
7. BetRivers - In-person in Schenectady
8. Bally Bet - Solid on iPhone
9. Resorts World Bet - Not live yet

At the time of this writing, New York City is not home to any retail sportsbooks. The closest geographical sportsbook is Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, NJ.

That sportsbook is operated by FanDuel Sportsbook, so you can use your FanDuel account there. FanDuel Sportsbook is one of the approved sports betting sites in New York, so this is a major convenience.

If you want to stay in-state, Resorts World Cat Skills is your best bet. It's about a 2-hour drive from the city, and their sportsbook is operated by Bet365. Bet365 is one of our favorite sportsbooks in America but is currently not available in New York.

Of course, Resorts World will launch its very own online sportsbook to coincide with the beginning of online sports betting becoming legal in New York. How this affects the Catskills' location relationship with Bet365 remains to be seen, but we feel comfortable speculating that the new Resorts World Bet online sportsbook will have some tie-in with the brick-and-mortar location.

In other regions of the country, partnerships between pro teams and sportsbooks have often evolved into arenas hosting in-person sports betting lounges in conjunction with their sportsbook sponsor.

In a virtually untapped New York City market, we can look to some of the sponsorships currently in the works with major New York teams to speculate on what might unfold in the future. In particular, Caesars Sportsbook's partnership with MSG Sports and Entertainment (which owns Madison Square Garden, the Knicks, and the Rangers) should be watched with particular interest.

One of the biggest changes in sports culture in recent years has been the wholehearted embrace of gambling by major teams and leagues across the country. What was once taboo has reached an acceptance rate of just about 100% with US sports leagues.

Before sports betting is even launched in New York, many of the city's teams have partnered up with a sportsbook.

• New York Knicks (NBA) - Caesars Sportsbook
• Brooklyn Nets (NBA) - Betway
• New York Jets (NFL) - WynnBET
• New York Giants (NFL) - DraftKings Sportsbook
• New York Islanders (NHL) - Betway
• New York Rangers (NHL) - Caesars Sportsbook
• New York Liberty (WNBA) - FanDuel Sportsbook

This will certainly have a major impact on who gains an early race to become the Big Apple's most popular sportsbook and is certainly something to keep in mind when choosing a betting site.

Many arenas and stadiums across the country now host in-house sportsbooks, so there's a solid chance these partnerships could evolve into on-site betting houses in the not-too-distant future.

Of course, New York City is also a city with a ton of commuters. I know I couldn't afford to live in Brooklyn even if my 8-leg parlays hit every week of the NFL season (unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to put this theory to the test).

The good news is that many of New York City's approved sportsbooks are already available in New Jersey! If you've been crossing the Hudson to circumvent the restrictions, then there's a good chance that you have already created an account with one of these books.

It's really convenient to choose one of these sportsbooks if you're frequently going back and forth between the states since you'll only need one account to access all of your sports betting needs.

New York City Sportsbooks Also in NJ

• BetMGM
• Caesars Sportsbook
• DraftKings Sportsbook
• FanDuel Sportsbook
• PointsBet
• WynnBET

While it may be a little less common, there are also plenty of commuters from Connecticut every day. Like New Jersey, Connecticut's legal online sports betting infrastructure predates New York's, but not by much.

Connecticut only recently enabled those in the states to legally bet in the fall of 2021. That means FanDuel and DraftKings Sportsbooks are the only available sports betting sites available in the state at the moment.

Luckily for Connecticut-NYC commuters, both of those sportsbooks will also be available in New York! So, if you're frequently moving between those two states, it might behoove you to pick one of those two options.