New York posted a record $26.3 billion in sports betting wagers in 2025, up 15% from the previous year, even as public scepticism and regulatory pressure around youth protection continued to intensify.
Record-setting months in November and October helped push 2025 over the line, the numbers showed, while the summer months were the quietest across the entire year. It means New York ranks as one of the highest betting states in the U.S., competing with the likes of Nevada and New Jersey.
Betting growth continues but sentiment wanes
The figures add to a broader trend of rising sports betting activity in New York and across the U.S. Indeed, Virginia recently announced record sports betting revenue for the month of November 2025, while other states like Michigan and Massachusetts have also seen similar record betting revenues in November 2025 and September 2025 respectively.
However, public attitudes toward the expansion of sports betting have become more divided. A summer 2025 survey by Pew Research found that 43% of U.S. adults say the fact that sports betting is now legal in much of the country is a bad thing for society, up from 34% in 2022. Last month, another poll conducted jointly by the Washington Post and University of Maryland showed 36% of Americans view the increasing number of states allowing sports betting as “a bad thing.”
Supporters of the gambling industry argue appropriate regulation will ensure a safe and stable environment for bettors, many of whom would bet with illegal betting operators without the option of legal betting. In turn, that brings millions in additional tax revenue for state governments. Critics say that the rapid growth of legal sports betting is increasing exposure among young people, particularly men and underage users.
According to the National Council on Problem Gambling’s Youth Gambling Factsheet, an estimated 159.6 million people under 18 globally reported gambling on commercial, largely age-restricted products in the past year. Of that number, a total of 33.7% is estimated to have come from North America. In response, Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul is advancing new measures aimed at strengthening age-verification controls.
Biometrics to stop underage gambling
In an upcoming State of the State address, Hochul will encourage the New York State Gaming Commission to enable facial recognition and thumb scanners to stop anyone under the age of 21 signing up for a betting account. Additionally, anyone caught enabling betting access to minors will face a ban from sports betting platforms, according to a gambling commission source. The use of AI to send personalised promotions or attract new customers could also be forbidden.
In a statement handed to ESPN, Hochul said: “From day one, one of my highest priorities has been keeping kids and our most vulnerable safe in a rapidly changing digital world, and that includes risks posed by online gambling.
“By engaging tools like biometric age verification, establishing stronger prevention and treatment and applying the same vigilance to online betting that we have brought to social media and AI we will build on our progress to protect New Yorkers from predatory and addictive technologies. The Sports Betting Alliance (SBA) is offering to work with Governor Hochul to ensure the implementation of “advanced age and identity technologies.”
The President of the SBA, Joe Maloney, reiterated the dangers of offshore gambling, telling ESPN: “We also expect to further partner with Governor Hochul and additional leaders to expose and eliminate offshore and illegal actors that pay no heed to age requirements and actively target vulnerable populations throughout the state and nationally.”
Recent sweeps casino ban highlights state’s vigilance
While sportsbook revenue is beating all state records, the controversial sweepstakes casino has been eradicated from New York for good. The governor signed into law last month Senate Bill 5935, which makes operating or promoting online sweepstakes games in the state illegal.
Democratic Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr of New York, who authored the bill, said in an interview in early 2025: “The guardrails and the safeguards that we painstakingly take efforts to do when we do mobile sports betting or iGaming are not there with most of these sweepstakes casino sites.”
Regulators battling for the right balance
The recent figures underscore the tension facing regulators in New York and the rest of the country. Sports betting continues to deliver record handle and tax revenue, cementing the state’s position as one of the largest wagering markets in the country.
At the same time, shifting public sentiment is increasing scrutiny of youth exposure and accelerating calls for tighter controls. For New York, the challenge is not expanding betting further, but managing its social impact as the market matures.
