In January, New York passed the one-year mark of legalized online sports betting, and while the industry is thriving, it’s the residual effects that keeps fans rolling the dice.
“Oh, I know how much I’ve lost. You can check if you go to the account balance,” said Kenny. It’s a reminder of how he spends his Sundays in the FanDuel app, right at his fingertips.
“Technically, I’ve won $12,000, but I’ve lost over 17,” said Kenny in between nervous laughs. He’s laughing through the pain.
“It hurts.”
According to the Hochul administration, in its first year, the state of New York received more than $700 million in revenue from online sports betting. While the state welcomes the revenue, critics say it comes at a cost.
Leilani Yizar-Reid, a member of the Problem Gambling Resource Center, says her team has seen the effects firsthand.
“Definitely a statewide increase in our calls. Things are the same. But it's just it's more. It's just more. Right. Like we've always had an addiction problem, but now it's just hitting people differently,” said Yizar-Reid.
Now, it’s hitting at every angle.
Yizar-Reid says it’s the accessibility that comes with mobile betting that has raised numbers across the board. Kenny says that’s the biggest appeal.
“If I had to go to a casino or something, I wouldn’t. But because it’s on my phone, I definitely do it more often,” said Kenny.
“That’s what technology does. It allows us to move from a space where there’s less access to all the access in the world,” said Yizar-Reid.
While the state is “all in” on growing the industry, conversations around monitoring the effects are taking place. On January 31, the New York State Legislature hosted a hearing one year removed from online sports gambling legalization to assess the industry’s progress.
“We can never talk about the success of gaming or its expansion without discussing the issues and the dangers of, certainly, addiction,” said Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., a Democrat from the 15th district and chair of the State Senate’s standing Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering.
In response to the online gambling boom, two amendments have been introduced in the state legislature.
State Senate bill S1550 requires all advertisements for gambling and sports betting to include warnings, whereas the State Assembly’s version establishes the Problem Gambling Advisory Council.
“You know, you don't want to be in demand. You're not in this field because we're in a field of addiction, mental health. You don't want to be in demand. You don't want it, you know, but technically, we are,” said Yizar-Reid.
Kenny’s self-discipline is strong enough to tell him when to stop, but as New York thrives in a mobile betting world, he hopes to keep breaking even.
“It all comes down to that, on if I had a good weekend or not,” said Kenny.