New York Online Sportsbook Reviews

With online sports betting on the horizon in New York, sportsbooks will be aiming to attract new customers. Sports betting has been legal in the state since 2019, but the newest developments include online betting, which New York has yet to implement.

Since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, individual states have taken different stances on legal sports betting. Should New York legalize online wagering, sports bettors in the state would be able to place wagers from their phones or computers instead of needing to attend a physical sportsbook.

If online betting goes live in New York, you will likely want to be ready with information as you decide where you want to wager. This page goes over key aspects of various online sportsbooks that could launch in New York once they are able to do so.

Best NY sports betting sites 2023

To give you an idea of your potential choices, let’s review the top online sportsbooks that are expected to launch in the state of New York.

DraftKings Sportsbook

Originally starting out in daily fantasy sports, DraftKings has positioned itself as one of the leaders in legal sports betting in the United States. New Jersey was the first state to move forward with legalization after the repeal of PASPA, so DraftKings started in New Jersey like many of today’s legal sportsbooks.

With its app, DraftKings offers a customizable betting carousel, showing items users would be most likely to bet on. That type of personal touch is a strategy the company is using to lure in more bettors. DraftKings branding is consistent with its black and green color scheme to go alongside the logo. It’s tough to find a significantly better sports betting product than DraftKings, whether it’s through the Apple or Android app or on a computer, and its design is as good as it gets.

FanDuel Sportsbook

Just like DraftKings, FanDuel got its start though daily fantasy sports and is one of the most reputable sports betting apps in the United States. FanDuel launched its sportsbook in 2018 in New Jersey.

The app is available for iPhone and Android users, as are most legal sportsbook apps. If you have used the FanDuel website, the app is similar. Consistency is important, and FanDuel nailed it in that regard. Whether it’s through the app or website, FanDuel put together a very user-friendly product for new and experienced bettors.

BetMGM Sportsbook

MGM Resorts International has been a big player in gambling for decades, and the company got involved into the sports betting game in July 2018 following the repeal of PASPA, when it also debuted in New Jersey.

The app is available for Apple and Android, and is consistent across both platforms. BetMGM puts out quite a few bonuses and promotions for its customers. In addition, the company overs an excellent selection of live betting options, meaning you can bet along with the game as it progresses, if you wish.

Fox Bet Sportsbook

The Stars Group and Fox partnered in May 2019 to expand what was previously known as BetStars Sportsbook, which launched in New Jersey in 2018. Then, in the summer of 2019, BetStars changed to Fox Bet.

Just like the others, the app is available for both Android and iPhone users. The sportsbook gets creative with its boosts and gets a bump from a daily gambling TV show on Fox Sports called Fox Bet Live. Fox Sports personalities will often create boosts for users in an effort to expand the sportsbook’s reach. The sportsbook offers plenty of withdrawal options and aims to process payments within 24 hours, as well as providing a 24/7 customer support desk.

BetRivers Sportsbook

Rivers Casino went into the online sportsbook business with Rush Street Interactive launching the BetRivers app. The sportsbook utilizes a rewards program called iRush Rewards, which allows customers to accrue perks as they wager.

BetRivers offers the typical easy banking options you’ll see from other sportsbooks, and the company has continued to expand as states legalize throughout the country. The app is available for both Android and Apple users. BetRivers does a great job of making it easy for users to find live betting options to wager on. You can be in touch with customer support 24/7 through the sportsbook’s live chat feature. BetRivers requires an ID and proof of your deposit method.

One option to consider is opening accounts at multiple sportsbooks. There are a number of reasons to do this, but one of the major ideas is to give yourself the best numbers and odds possible. Not all sportsbooks set the exact same odds, so with multiple accounts, so you can shop around and find the optimal scenario for yourself. If you like a particular team to cover the spread, you could look at the spread for that team across all the sportsbooks and find the one with the best numbers for you. Gaining just a half-point can go a long way and is extremely valuable in the sports betting landscape.

The importance of using a legal sportsbook

Even though PASPA was repealed in 2018, betting has been a part of the sports landscape for much longer, though not all of it has been above board. Sure, there were limited locations in the United States that allowed legal sports betting, but a significant chunk of sports wagers were made through offshore sportsbooks or via bookies. Both are unregulated and can be a dangerous way to go about placing bets for that reason. There are still a large number of illegal bets, but state-by-state legalization continues and is making for a better experience for sports bettors.

So if sports wagers have been going on for years, what are the differences between using legal sportsbooks and offshore sportsbooks or bookies? There are several advantages to using the regulated options.

For one, it is a much safer process due to regulation. Since offshore books and bookies are not regulated, basically anything goes. You could win a bet, request to cash out your winnings and the illegal sportsbooks could simply opt to not pay you, and there’s nothing you can do about it. At a legal sportsbook regulated by a state authority, that would never happen without legal consequences and very bad PR for the company. The bottom line is that you can feel safe and comfortable in your sports betting process with a legal sportsbook, whereas you are not guaranteed that type of comfort going through an illegal sportsbook.

It’s more about personal preference, but legal sportsbooks will typically put more time into designing their apps with new and useful features for sports bettors. The competition among the sportsbooks is fierce, and each of them is trying to think of as many ways as possible to attract users. This leads to a much better experience because the sportsbooks are all pushing one another to provide a better product.

Other advantages of using a legal sportsbook include utilizing bonuses and boosts and access to responsible gambling information. Many lives have been altered due to an online gambling addiction through offshore operations, and legal sportsbooks will offer things like deposit limits to try to help people control their wagering.

The advantage of an offshore sportsbook or other illegal operation, of course, is that it is offered to anybody, whereas people in the United States need to be within a legal online betting state to wager. If you live in or near New York, you will likely be able to make online sports bets soon enough, so you won’t have to worry about this.

Choosing a sports betting site in New York

Always make sure you are doing your homework and doing as much research as possible before making any decisions that involve your money. Here are some of the basics of what to look for when choosing a sportsbook.

Legal

This is self-explanatory, but make sure it’s legal before you decide to sign up. Stay away from the offshores and illegal bookies and stick with the legal sportsbooks as we mentioned earlier. Your money is in a safe place when you utilize a legal book.

App functions/features

Most of the major legal sportsbooks in the United States will have an app, and it’s more about personal preference for which has the best betting app. The apps are designed to work smoothly and create a much more convenient option for the users. Even if you’re just getting into sports betting, the apps should be fairly easy to understand and simple to use.

Lines and odds

This is where potentially going with multiple sportsbooks factors in. If there is a game you want to bet on, you can check several sportsbooks to see which one has the best odds for the wager you want to place. If you notice a book with consistently inferior odds, that is one you may want to cease using.

Bonus offers

The idea is that sportsbooks will offer a bonus such as matching your initial deposit or boosting odds significantly in a new or experienced user’s favor. It’s important to take a look and compare which sportsbooks will offer the best bonuses, especially if you are a new user.

Payment options

This may differ by sportsbook, but most will let you deposit and withdraw via credit and debit cards and bank transfers. Some of this may depend on the individual state, as well.

Support

The customer service and support options should be top-notch at the sportsbook you are using. If you have questions or a particular complaint on anything in regard to your sports betting experience, you should be able to get a timely response from your sportsbook. Transparency is important in this industry, and sports bettors deserve the best support system possible regardless of what sportsbook they are using.