State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. filed legislation in January that would legalize online casinos in New York. The bill, known as S2614, is Addabbo’s third try at getting internet gambling approved in the state.

Addabbo chairs the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering. His bill sits in that committee now. It has not moved to a floor vote yet.

The legislation would let existing casinos, video lottery facilities, Native American tribe,s and mobile sports betting companies apply for online casino licenses. A casino or facility would pay $2 million for a license. Platform providers would pay $10 million. The state would tax operators at 30.5 percent of their gross gaming revenue. That money would go to the lottery fund, which pays for education programs.

Online gambling sites have grown substantially in recent years. Operators now run platforms with thousands of games, live dealer tables, and multiple ways to deposit money. People who want to know how to find real money slot games online can access sites that take credit cards, e-wallets, and cryptocurrency. Some platforms list more than 6,000 different games. The technology has advanced considerably since lawmakers first talked about regulation.

Under S2614, any company running live dealer games would have to broadcast from a studio in New York. Servers that accept bets would need to be on the grounds of a licensed facility. Each operator could run one platform. Licenses would last ten years.

The bill requires operators to submit annual plans for addressing problem gambling. The New York State Gaming Commission would review those plans. Operators would also have to verify players’ ages and offer self-exclusion programs for people with gambling problems.

Addabbo points to New York’s mobile sports betting market as proof that the state can run online gambling well. That market started in 2022 and brought in about $70 million in tax revenue in its first five weeks. It became the biggest sports betting market in the country. Supporters say the state could apply the same rules to online casinos. They argue this would keep money in New York instead of losing it to unregulated sites or neighboring states such as New Jersey.

The senator’s office projects online casinos could bring in $1 billion a year in tax revenue. State budget analysts expect a $3 billion deficit next fiscal year as federal COVID funding runs out. Addabbo and other supporters say online casino taxes could help fill that gap without raising other taxes.

Labor unions that represent casino workers oppose the bill. The Hotel Trades Council, part of the AFL-CIO, worries that online gambling would take money away from physical casinos and cost workers their jobs. Addabbo put $40 million in the bill to support casino employment, but union officials say no amount of money makes up for lost jobs.

New York is deciding where to put three new casinos in the downstate area. Gaming regulators said they will make those decisions by the end of this year. That process could push back any work on online casino legislation. Governor Kathy Hochul left online gambling out of her 2024 budget. She has not said much publicly about whether she supports it.

Seven states now have legal online casinos. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Michigan are among them. If New York passes S2614, it would join that group.