New York assemblyman slams “very limited” sports betting license framework
Racing & Wagering Committee chairman J Gary Pretlow takes aim at former Governor Andrew Cuomo and insists Empire State should license all applicants
New York Assemblyman J Gary Pretlow has lambasted state officials and former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo for their “very limited” vision in the licensing process of prospective sports betting operators.
Taking to Twitter, the NY politician and chairman of the Empire State’s Racing & Wagering Committee took aim at Cuomo, suggesting the state now had an opportunity to rectify his mistake by widening its licensing criteria.
Pretlow tweeted: “Licensing all of the companies that applied will achieve the legislature’s original vision for the sports betting market and is explicitly envisioned and allowed under the law that was enacted.
In a separate tweet, he continued: “While the former governor had a very limited vision for how a sports betting market could operate in New York, we now have the opportunity to get this right.
“We should license all applicants and allow them to compete for the business of New Yorkers,” he added.
The open model is a proven model. NJ is dominating the space. Cuomo botched a major opportunity for the state. Is there still some time to fix it??? I’m hoping there is.
— Dave Portnoy (Parody) (@stoolprezidenti) October 24, 2021
The New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) is currently considering license applications from a number of operators, all of which have faced an uphill struggle in conforming to the Empire State’s rigorous licensing standards.
That struggle kicked up a gear earlier this month when the NYGC confirmed tax rates, issuing operators with an ultimatum of amending their bids to conform with the proposed taxation framework or face exclusion from the market.
It is expected that a mega-bid involving DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, and Bally Bet will be among the front runners for a license.
Addressing this bidding and selection process, Pretlow tweeted: “New York received bids from a large number of well-qualified companies, and I think it would be a mistake for us to limit the market to a few participants when we have the opportunity to have so many companies competing to provide New Yorkers with the best experience.
“We have the opportunity to have the largest and most exciting sports betting industry in the country, and so I am excited that the Gaming Commission is moving forward with the mobile sports betting licensing process,” Pretlow concluded.
Many observers were caught by surprise with the final framework unveiled by the Cuomo administration prior to his departure in August.
One of those was BetMGM CEO Adam Greenblatt, who reflected on the process in an interview with EGR North America.
“Just the week before, the direction of travel from a regulatory perspective was an entirely different framework, so we were all surprised by what they published,” Greenblatt explained.
“Nonetheless, we had to respond to that which was before us.
“To explain, what they actually did was set out a framework which included a two-pass scoring system assessing competence, relationships, and tax.
“They also provided guidance on what they wanted to see. Rather than a long list of market participants, they really wanted to see the market formed around a narrow group of the best operators, so that’s what we were presented with.
“What we did in establishing our consortium, we basically put together what we believe to be without question, head and shoulders, the highest scoring consortium by reference to this scoring framework,” he concluded.
New York is expected to license the first sports betting operators in December 2021.