Geocomply: New York hits record sports betting high in opening 12 hours
GeoComply reports 5.8 million transactions in just 12 hours as Empire State makes debut
New York’s four licensed sports betting operators enjoyed a record opening weekend with a record number of bets placed in just the first 12 hours of operation.
Transaction data, revealed by geolocation specialists GeoComply show Empire State bettors placed 5.8 million bets on NY licensed books during the period between 9am and 9pm on Saturday.
The figure is almost 2.5 times higher than that of neighbouring Pennsylvania, where GeoComply had reported 2.3 million sports betting transactions.
New York also beat New Jersey (2.1 million), Michigan (1.6 million) Illinois (1.1 million) and the most recent debutant in sports betting, Arizona, where GeoComply recorded 1 million transactions during the 12-hour period.
The first 36 hours of #SportsBetting in New York was LEGENDARY. In total, NY saw over 17M checks for their first weekend.
Check out this video of #geolocation volume! pic.twitter.com/FylPc2BpUQ
— GeoComply (@GeoComply) January 10, 2022
The high transaction volumes come despite New York’s controversial 51% tax on sports betting operations, a tax which some suggested could lead bettors to travel to other nearby states including Connecticut and New Jersey.
Caesars, FanDuel, DraftKings and Rush Street Interactive were approved to begin sports betting operations in the Empire State, having passed through the New York State Gaming Commission’s (NYSGC) stringent licensee selection process, which concluded in November 2021.
Licensee Caesars has offered New York bettors a $300 sign-up bonus and a deposit match of up to $3,000, however the recently relaunched Caesars Sportsbook app drew a slew of negative comments after going down for almost an hour on opening weekend.
Well New York, looks like we killed Caesars. 😂 pic.twitter.com/n7UnBsb4mA
— John (@Whatupbird1) January 9, 2022
Rush Street Interactive’s Betrivers brand enjoyed a more successful debut, processing $970,381 in bets on Saturday via its New York sportsbook.
Of this, bets on football accounted for $500,231 of the amount wagered, followed by basketball with $271,281.
DraftKings offered Empire State bettors a bonus offer of $200 in free bets for every $5 placed over the weekend, aiming to attract bettors and gain early market share.
US market leader FanDuel recently concluded a partnership with the Buffalo Bills and is offering New York bettors same game parlay bets, with FanDuel brand ambassador Pat McAfee lauding sports betting on his show last week.
WELCOME TO THE PARTY NEW YORK…
Mobile sports betting platforms can begin operating at 9 AM Saturday#PatMcAfeeShowLIVE pic.twitter.com/LpLPieJKST
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) January 6, 2022
Bally Bet, BetMGM, PointsBet, Resorts World and WynnBET have still to launch in New York and are currently still being assessed by NYSGC regulators, but will face an uphill battle to gain market share in the state the longer this approval process takes.