Gaming regulators officially allowed sports gambling in New York in June and over the course of this summer, casinos have been opening their sports facilities.
"I think its time has come in New York," state Senator Pat Gallivan, R-Elma, said. "Constituents that I speak with are very supportive of it and no doubt I think people will partake."
This week, Resorts World Catskills in Monticello will become the last of four commercially licensed upstate casinos to open a sportsbook — just in time for the NFL season. The Oneida Indian Nation is also opening what it says is the state's largest facility Wednesday in Chittenango.
Yet, in Western New York things have been quiet.
"No doubt in my mind that we'll see (the Seneca Nation's) entry into it in the not too distant future but I don't have any firsthand knowledge but they’re business people and they're looking into something that could bring in revenues to their casinos,” said Gallivan.
The Oneidas and the Saint Regis Mohawk Tribe are already operating sports betting in some of their casinos but the Seneca Nation is not.
“We are making some exciting progress on our sports wagering operations in Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Salamanca," Seneca Gaming Corp. spokesperson Phil Pantano said. "We will share details about what our patrons can expect as soon as they are finalized."
Perhaps a telling sign, the Buffalo Bills announced last week a new partnership with Seneca Resorts and Casinos. They will be the official casinos of the team this year.
"If they don't start before the season starts, they'll miss some of the potential revenues but once it starts I think fans are hungry, fans will be happy and it won't matter that it wasn't done in the past," Gallivan said.
Sports gambling appears to be a lucrative new business with reports neighboring New Jersey is poised to pass Nevada for the most money wagered in the country. However unlike New Jersey, New York does not allow online gaming.