The Best Betting Sites New York

Disclaimer: Atnewyork is supported by its audience. When you click our links, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional costs to you.

The first 30 days of online betting since going live brought in more than $2 billion in total bets, with as much as $70 million going into the tax coffers alone. If these aren’t staggering numbers, what can be?

When the bill was passed, it was done right in time for Super Bowl 56 between Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals. Since then, of course, the betting websites NY’s battle for premium position has meant an explosion of sorts in the New York sports betting world. A number of operators, who have developed both websites and apps, have looked at different strategies towards claiming a robust betting market.

NY sports betting sites and their current status

Eight sportsbooks have already met regulatory standards and are officially live. It was a welcome change in the aftermath of Covid, where most things have moved online. Since 2019, New York has housed legal in-person sports betting at selection locations across the city. The emergence of legal betting sites in New York only completes the experience.

FanDuel Sportsbook, Draftkings Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook and BetRivers were among the first to launch. BetMGM went live on January 17. A week later, PointsBet joined the queue. February saw the launch of Wynn. In March, Resorts WorldBET joined the bandwagon. Two weeks into the month, decks were cleared for Bally Bet’s launch. Everyone is now eagerly anticipating its much-awaited launch sometime this month. The one thing that has been common to all the apps was massive welcome bonuses and promotions for new players.

The battle for best sports betting site NY has soared. There’s stifling competition and intense business to be had. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing for sports bettors, because more choice translates into more competition among NY sports betting sites for your money.  Competitive environments inspire innovation and a commitment to service. It gives the players several options to choose from. Which legal online sports betting platforms are worthy of your time? We will try and help you figure out for yourself.

Picking the best betting sites New York has to offer

In November 2021, New York State Gaming Commission accepted two bids for New York sports betting sites in the Empire State. Two groups of sportsbooks were in sync with each other and had a common mission of entering the business and being long-term players, while complying with all the norms, made the bids. Now, nine different brands have come onboard to possess a conditional sports betting license, with each one paying 51% of their revenues to the state in the form of taxes.

So what’s the best way to pick legal sports betting sites in New York?. Your first tick box should be a personal preference based on the feature that excites you. It should depend on the ease of navigation of their app, from where a majority of the online sports betting happens. Let’s analyze a few of them.

The best betting websites NY offers for NY-based teams

DraftKings and FanDuel. This is an exciting option if you’re looking to wager on your local favorite teams and other big games or events concentrated in the area. These two apps are among the industry leaders and are rated highly. That they have partnerships with several New York pro teams should bring with it additional incentives as well.

The best betting websites NY offers for competitive odds

Caesars and PointsBet. These two sportsbooks are data-rich and have focused on keeping the odds competitive and appealing. There’s a huge array of data you can have access to before placing bets.

The best online betting sites New York offers for bet variety

BetMGM and BetRivers. Purely in terms of the bouquet of options, these two online sports betting sites have their largest options of different sports one can wager on. All of this combined with the ease of navigation of their app and attractive offers make them an interesting proposition. For the record, BetMGM is owned by the famed MGM Resorts and Casinos.

Best sports betting sites NY offers for usability

Caesars and BetMGM. Promotional opportunities are common when signing up, and this is where these two have tried to score over the others by being an exception to the ruel. Don’t go there expecting big welcome bonuses, but the app as such is seamless.

Caesars Sportsbook NY

They went live in January. The app has a deep well of numbers and line-ups of the betting market, as well as odd boosts. The biggest incentive to sign up, of course, is their deep rewards program that promises one free bet per month and an extra bet for your birthday month, among other things.

Caesars Entertainment is among the biggest names in the gambling world. Now that William Hill comes under the Caesar brand, it has risen to become one of the biggest games worldwide in sports betting, too. Caesars Sports is a terrific compendium made for each and every category of wager. Caesars Sports also maintains excellent customer service options, with Caesars representatives available through phone, email, and live chat. In states with online casinos or poker, you can also look forward to a fully integrated site where you can move back and forth.

DraftKings Sportsbook NY

DraftKings has been one of the big success stories in the early days of legal sports betting. Much of this is by design. The same characteristics that helped them climb the charts in daily fantasy sports are being applied here. The betting carousel that appears as soon as you open the app is the biggest USP. It doesn’t take the user much effort to sift through the array of matches and the odds for each match. This rotating display on the carousel presents a series of bets that DraftKings has judged based on which is most relevant and on your selected preference.

As you bet more and more, it draws patterns from the games you’ve wagered on. This makes it unique, which is why no two New York sports bettors have the same experience on DraftKings. In addition, the app has no lags and offers a seamless experience. The biggest advantage is that DraftKings offers a similar layout to their app across all states where the operate, so you don’t have to deal with different apps for different states. Their odds and lines are super competitive and there isn’t a bet type they don’t have. That they have become the pace-setters in every market they have a footprint in tells you their marketing and business acumen. It’s only likely to get bigger.

FanDuel Sportsbook NY

FanDuel users love a friendly UI/UX that not just looks great but works like a dream. If you’re a stickler for visuals and a seamless experience, there’s a lot to like about FanDuel. If your lifestyle revolves around technology and latest platforms, you’d perhaps be able to tell when a company prioritizes tech and user experience, and makes these aspects non-negotiable. On that front, FanDual is a winner. The app seemingly appears glitch-free, with the biggest draw being their bet slip function. Those are just one of many highlights. FanDuel isn’t averse to big promotions, because there is always that little extra on offer for every kind user.

Even before a FanDuel Sportsbook opened its doors at Tioga Downs, their brand presence across New York was striking. Their biggest USP is a combination of a clean, user-friendly interface and frequent promotions, which is better than what most other operators offer. In addition, FanDuel allows you to observe your bets through a live feed of the game in question.

BetMGM Sportsbook NY

BetMGM have a wealth of gambling experience and this is made clear by their online betting site. This places lofty expectations on their offerings, which the company seems to have met head on. If you like niche sports, there’s a lot to look forward to. The navigation online experience isn’t quite as smooth as other operators, but you can still get right down to business once you are used to the layout.

The BetMGM sportsbook app gives their users a kind of a premium service, in that the bettors can open bets that can’t be found on competitor platforms. What a lot of the NY betting sites offer is an option to Cash Out reduced payouts when your wager is unlikely to win. BetMGM have taken this a step further with its ‘Edit My Bet feature’, where in addition to the Cash Out option, you can also alter your open wager in several ways. You can add more choices to your bets, you can swap one of your options. In some cases you can drop parlay legs together up to a certain cut off point in the game.

PointsBet Sportsbook NY

PointsBet is an Australian-based company that has made a roaring start in the USA. Great promotional offerings — such as reduced juice on spread bets — have certainly helped, as have the wide range of market offerings and innovative features. The PointsBet online sports betting app isn’t widely available yet and isn’t remotely as popular as some of the others, but it’s on its way to several bigger markets in the not-too-distant future. If you’d love to find a spot to play that’s geared toward handicappers while also offering up great promos that everyone likes, this is your ultimate platform.

PointsBet Sportsbook’s most striking feature is their signature wager called PointsBetting. With this feature, you can make a traditional spread bet on the eventual margin of victory. Your payout will depend on how correct your estimated result has turned out to be. How this works is each point of discrepancy translates into an increased multiple. This means when it rains, it could pour in terms of winnings, and if it goes wrong, it could quickly drain you of your winnings. This is a feature you can’t find anywhere else. The company is known to be customer-friendly, issuing refunds quickly and frequently if the game’s outcome is exceptionally unexpected.

BetRivers Sportsbook NY

BetRivers is the sportsbook app run by the Rivers brand of casinos. BetRivers Sportsbook NY offers excellent depth in terms of parlay options, more than other sportsbooks. BetRivers offers the chance to be able to add parlay legs within the same game. Just like when you select a lottery ticket, you can also choose the Jackpot Parlay option if you don’t mind accepting parlay legs. The appealing factor is the option of making your parlay as a teaser which could maximize your chances of winning big. BetRivers has also introduced a stellar rewards program called the iRush Rewards.

BetRivers

Deposit match bonus of $250 with 250MATCH

4.4/5

Start Betting!

T&Cs apply. Must be 21+ and physically in the state

WynnBet Sportsbook NY

WynnBet Sportsbook is the online sports betting wing of the company that runs the hugely popular and successful Wynn and Encore casino chains. WynnBet launched a sportsbook app in the US a few years ago. This makes them late entrants into the market, much later than some of their other contemporaries in the gambling space. The app’s navigation is extremely quick and intuitive. WynnBet offers an acclaimed rewards program, the USP being their ‘Rewards Store’ which converts your earned points into additional free bets. This makes them a very attractive proposition.

WynnBet

Bet $50 Win $200 in free bets

4.5/5

Start Betting!

T&Cs apply. Must be 21+ and physically in the state

BallyBet Sportsbook NY

The relative newcomers to the sports betting market are in the process of coming out with their final iteration, following which we expect them to challenge in the competition for best NY betting sites. The app’s first state launch was in May 2021, and now finally, five months post online gambling made legal, they will go live. Apart from all the usual offerings, the app’s USP is the integration of a social element – you can see bets made by your friends through a dedicated feed on the app. You can also see intricate details like single biggest win, longest winning streak, longest losing streak among other data. Incredibly, you can now clone a bet made by your close contact as yours separately with a simple push of a button.

Resorts World

They’re coming soon. They’re among the lesser-known sportsbooks companies in the US Sports betting markets, so the presence in the New York market is unknown. The company got into the NY market by virtue of having multiple Resorts World properties in the Empire State, both in New York City and at Resorts World Catskills in Monticello. That isn’t a dissuading factor in them potentially debuting sometime over the next few months. Resorts World have only previously had an app in Nevada. Its offerings aren’t entirely glitch-free just yet.

How to pick the best sports betting sites NY offers

How early are lines released?

A hands-on operator who is always on the bat is preferred to those behind the curve ball. Example: For the NFL and college football, you want a spot that’s releasing lines as the current slate is winding down. On the daily sports, you should generally see the odds beginning to be drawn the night before the game.

Who offers the best odds in NY?

Most of the big operators operate on a close range with similar margins. Those that aren’t will stick out, and sharp bettors will pounce on the opportunity to jump platforms when it happens. Finding the service provider who thinks long-term and is ahead of the curve in terms of their offerings in the current climate should be prioritized. 

What NY sports betting sites offer a break on juice?

Operators use this as a key tool, especially keeping promotions in mind. They’ll occasionally offer no-juice or reduced rake spreads.Other operators follow this practice regularly to make it an in-demand feature almost.

Loyalty programs

The best New York sportsbooks still have a ways to go to match casinos on this front, but some are ahead of the game. Included on that list is BetRivers, a solid book that offers a rewards program that works in tiers.

Bonuses and promo codes

In order to draw people into a crowded market that is fast-evolving, the best online betting sites in NY try and lure players by offering them free cash and plenty of other incentives by means of their promotions. These can be one time or ongoing.

How to tell if a New York sports betting site is legit or fake

In today’s day and age, there are literally hundreds of online betting platforms available on the internet. Each of these are vying for your attention by offering you different incentives, attractive bonuses, retention, promotions and features in the hope of widening their customer base. Some offer content, others customized user-centric data.

But over and above all of this, there’s a simple question that needs answering: how do you trust a site to be legit? How would you know they are trustworthy? How do you know they won’t misuse your personal data? How do you figure they won’t keep your money and won’t let you withdraw your jackpot? With truckloads of sites out there, it’s important to look out for certain markers that distinguish the legitimate betting sites from the others.

Ensure all the licenses of the betting site are in place

Use sites that are officially licensed by the New York State Gaming Commission. A license ensures the site has gone through several stages of compliance and different processes before receiving the nod. To get an approval for a license, a betting site must be passed through several layers, such as having their books be audited, following certain gaming rules, and also paying a large fee. The one thing you can be sure about is that no fake sites can easily pass through the hoops to get a license. 

You may wonder how one distinguishes a real from a fake license. Licensed betting sites are compelled to display the seal of their license page prominently on every page of their website. So once you open the betting site and scroll to the footer, the bottom of the page, you can see a seal present on the page.

Visit the About Us page

Most law-complaint betting sites have an About Us page containing details of the organization, their history, the board members, the compliance policy, the rules, status of funding among other details. The absence of an About Us page is a huge red flag, as it an About Us page containing illegible filler content. Typical information you should look for on the page are as follows:

• When was the betting site established?
• What is their business address?
• How does one contact them?
• Do they have an active social media presence?
• Who are the people behind managing operations?

If the About Us page manages to address all these questions satisfactorily, there’s a good chance it’s a legitimate betting site. However, if the About Us page gives you more questions than answers, it’s a good sign that the betting site probably can’t be trusted.

Read betting site reviews

Reviews are a sure-shot sign of whether a site is legal or not. Look for unbiased and fair reviews – such as the ones on our pages – and there are multiple avenues that offer them. A good review ideally needs to tell you about the features, how trustworthy the site is and what its USP is. If the review satisfies you and paints a good picture overall, chances are it’s probably legitimate.

However, if the review mentions problems, such as players being refused winnings, unexplained deductions, cancellation of winning bets, then it’s probably not a trustworthy platform. When in doubt, make sure you scour through different sources and reviews to confirm if their intentions and offerings are honest and in line with what they claim.

One of the standout NY betting site comparison companies is undoubtedly Betting.us. It is a first-class resource for the most meticulously detailed and unbiased reviews of New York’s best betting sites.

Look at the interface and layout

The interface, the layout, design and the general look and feel of a betting site is a great way to determine if a betting site is legit or fake. Most fake betting sites out there look glitchy with broken links and half-baked details. Legitimate betting sites look fresh and up-to-date. They look sharp and modern, intuitive, and well-organized.

Listen to your intuition

More than any of the usual red flags listed here, go with your gut instinct. Does the site give you good vibes? Does the site leave you wanting to come back again? Do you see fresh updates on the website everyday? Do they have accessible customer care support? Are the bonuses and incentives for real?

Use only recommended betting sites

The best thing you can do to weed out fake sites is by only going through recommendations from a trusted source. If something looks off or fishy, chances are it is. Go through several platforms that carefully vet different sites. Their teams personally go through each site and test all the features – from the signup process to the deposit methods, the bonuses, the games, and of course, withdrawing money. This is done to ensure that all the betting sites they recommend are legit and safe for players to use.

Other gaming avenues in New York – Is Daily Fantasy Sports legal in NY?

If you’re not quite the person to be using some of the betting websites NY offers, and if wagering in general is not your thing, you also have the option to play daily fantasy sports. The real-money gaming aspect of this is also recognized by the New York State Gaming Commission, which categorized daily fantasy sports under Interactive Fantasy Sports.

These are described by the NYSGC as “games of skill in which contestants assemble a roster of athletes in a given sport and use the actual aggregated performance statistics of those athletes to determine the contest’s winner”.

If that seems like your thing, here is a short list of DFS operators in NY that you can use:

• DraftKings DFS
• FanDuel DFS
• Winview
• Yahoo

FAQ

What is the best betting site in New York?

There are a lot of great betting options for New York sports fans when it comes to sites to bet at. The top betting sites include such big names such as DraftKings, FanDuel, Wynnbet and BetRivers.

How can I tell if a betting site is real in New York?

There are a lot of "fake" or unlicensed betting sites that have been around for years. You really want to make sure that the site that you are using has a New York license and this will help you to identify a legit sports betting site in NY.

Do betting sites in New York offer promo codes?

Yes, there are a few operators where you will need a promo code in order to get your bonus, but most do not require a code. Though there are more points to to consider than just promos when choosing a betting operator in New York.

Do New York betting sites offer DFS?

Yes, Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS) is offered by a few operators in NY. This is a great way to get into sports betting if you are still not ready to take the plunge into betting on real sporting events.

Who offers the best odds in NY?

All legal betting sites in New York offer similar margins, and any site that is offering much higher odds should be a red flag for you that they might not be a legal site operating with a license.

Do all betting sites offer the same sports in New York?

While most will offer the same sports and leagues, there are a few betting sites that offer greater variety of different sports for you to bet on.

Robert Miller

Writer and Owner

Born and raised in New York, Robert has a long standing love for sports and sports betting. He started off playing DFS and made the switch to sports betting as soon as he realized that he had a knack for making good bets.