Gambling is a complex matter when it comes to the United States of America. Even though many link the word casino to Las Vegas, Nevada, gambling as a whole is not that well-accepted across the entire country. This is especially true when it comes to online casinos, poker, and sports betting.

In the past few years, some states have legalized one or several forms of online gambling, with every state having its own regulations for this industry. Unfortunately, New York is still not among the states that have legalized any type of online gambling but there have been several amendments in the law that have legalized a few land-based forms of gambling. This being said, counties like Nassau are constantly introducing new regulations that are showing strong disapproval of any form of gambling.

Nassau Gambling Regulations

Not only is gambling, both offline and online, regulated on state-basis in the US, but there are also different regulations implemented in different counties in each state. This is also the case in Nassau County, which takes up a part of Long Island. Like in the entire state of New York, any form of online gambling is still illegal in Long Island. The only exception is Fantasy Football. If you want, you can do a little research about the gambling industry in Nassau and read more about the laws in this county.

Those who reside on the territory of Nassau Country, and the entire New York state for that matter, will not be able to bet on slots, roulette, blackjack, poker, or any popular sporting events online. This means that it is also not possible to simply grab your smartphone and start betting online. The only exception will be when you are in the mood for betting on fantasy sports as they fall under a different definition and are not considered a form of traditional betting. Fortunately, gaming enthusiasts will also have the chance to visit Nassau casinos from Yelp to enjoy a fun gambling experience. One such casino is Jake’s 58 casino and hotel.

Online Gambling in the State of New York

The only casino gambling that was legalized in the state of New York used to be land-based casinos that were established on the territories of Indian reservations. This, however, changed in 2013, when an amendment to the gambling law allowed brick-and-mortar casinos to operate in the state of New York. In 2019, the tribal and commercial casinos started offering retail sports betting.

After the change to the gambling law in 2013, one gambling facility was opened in Nassau County. It contained about 1,000 video-lottery terminals, which are very similar to slot machines. These VLTs are connected to the state lottery and some country officials had faith in the future revenue jump thanks to the newly opened casino facility.

Since most commercial casinos are based upstate, however, most New York residents from the city simply prefer to bet in New Jersey. Even though the state has allowed land-based casinos, online sportsbooks, casinos, and poker sites are still considered illegal according to the current law of New York. While there have been some talks for a change in the online sports betting scene in the state of New York, there are still no certain actions taken towards the decriminalization of any sort of online gambling in the state and its counties.

Future of Online Gambling in the State of New York

A budget proposal for fiscal 2020, which was approved by Senate Democrats, included a proposal for allowing New York casinos to offer online sports betting. This section of the proposal, however, was removed from the final version of the fiscal budget of New York for 2020.

Assemblyman Gary Pretlow amended legislation that was supposed to introduce legal online sports betting to New York. This legislation intended to allow casino operators to accept sports bets placed by punters using mobile devices. Of course, this was with the proviso that the casino operator was revised and authorized by the gaming commission. There was also another bill introduced by Addabbo, aiming for the legalization of mobile betting.

While Addabbo’s bill was passed in the Senate, this was not the case when it reached the Assembly legislation level. As of now, mobile sports betting, as well as any form of online gambling, remains illegal in the state of New York.

Even if the state of New York legalizes online gambling in 2020, it is definitely a step that will be taken after the elections. Despite many other states decriminalizing online casinos, sports betting, and poker, unfortunately, this is still something that is not well received in the state of New York.