Listen up, New Yorkers. Get ready to gather your information to start a new account. DraftKings NY has announced it is ready to kick off its mobile New York sports betting operation into higher gear.
Based in Boston, DraftKings is one of the largest and well-known sportsbooks in the U.S. market.
Launched in 2012, DraftKings enters its largest mobile market to date. The company made its announcement Thursday with mobile wagering to begin Saturday.
DraftKings was one of four operators the New York State Gaming Commission green-lighted to start taking mobile bets (NYSGC) as early as 9 a.m. Saturday. The others are FanDuel, Caesars and Rush Street International, parent company of BetRivers.
Incentives to Start DraftKings Account
DraftKings will give new customers $100 in free bets instantly when they sign up to DraftKings Sportsbook. No deposit is required and the offer is available only to customers who sign up for a DraftKings account in New York.
This promo ends when DraftKings goes live Saturday and the free bet must be used within seven days. You can find the DraftKings Sportsbook offer here.
Bettors might want to take a look at the NewYorkBets.com sports betting Odds and Lines Guide as you consider all these new apps in the Empire State.
If you plan to start betting Saturday, be sure to check out other New York sports betting promo offers.
DraftKings’ Spot in NY Sports Betting
Add New York, with the fourth highest population, among the states where DraftKings’ live mobile and/or retail betting operates: Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Wyoming.
DraftKings also is one of four sports betting companies that operates a retail sportsbook in upstate New York. Theirs is at Del Lago Casino & Resort in Waterloo, which is between Syracuse and Rochester.
To date, New York only has retail sports betting out of the four upstate casinos. In addition to Del Lago, those casinos are: Resorts World Casino in Monticello, Rivers Casino in Schenectady and Tioga Downs in Nichols.
That changes Saturday.
In November, the total sports betting handle at those casinos was $21.519 million. Rivers led the way at $9.9 million, followed by Del Lago ($6.15 million), Resorts World ($3.8 million) and Tioga ($1.7 million).
The handle and revenue numbers will skyrocket in New York when mobile betting is launched, as it has in all the other states before it.
Why New York Is a Pivotal State
Even though New York (19.3 million) is only the fourth-largest state in population, you must consider that No. 1 California (39.6 million) and No. 2 Texas (29.7 million) do not have sports betting and might not for several years at least. No. 3 Florida (21.9 million) had one outlet for sports gambling but that was closed due to legal battles late in 2021.
Throughout 2021 the momentum continued for mobile sports wagering. Then on Nov. 8, the NYSGC selected DraftKings and eight other mobile providers to receive licenses.
In addition to the four deemed ready to start Saturday, the five other operators are: BetMGM NY, PointsBet NY, WynnBET NY, Bally Bet and Resorts World. Those operators will join the fray on a rolling basis when the NYSGC gives the go-ahead.
