Will New York sports betting have one more mobile sports betting app to wager on at the start of the long Fourth of July holiday weekend Friday?
Bally Bet Sportsbook New York, the last holdout of the nine mobile providers approved by the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) last November, has yet to launch in the Empire State.
However, that could change by Thursday, June 30, as the second quarter of 2022 ends.
After Bally’s latest earnings call in early May, the company’s CEO had said it would launch before the second quarter ends this year. This came one day after Bally’s launched its iPhone app in Arizona (following a February debut of its Android app in the state).
“We launched in Arizona yesterday (May 4) with our foundational 2.0 product, and New York will follow later this quarter. This is a significant milestone for us,” said Lee Fenton, Bally’s CEO.
That day is fast approaching.
EmpireStakes.com has reached out to various Bally's departments, including Interactive, but has yet to receive a response on a potential launch.
How the Operators Joined the Field
Fan Duel Sportsbook, Caesars Sportsbook New York, DraftKings Sportsbook New York and BetRivers New York all launched and went live Jan. 8, the first day of legal mobile wagering in New York.
That foursome was followed, in order, by BetMGM Sportsbook New York (Jan. 17), PointsBet Sportsbook (Jan. 25), WynnBET Sportsbook New York (Feb. 4) and Resorts World New York (March 3).
Originally, the thought and expectation was Bally’s would launch sometime in April.
Back in February, during its Q4 2021 earnings call to investors, Fenton said:
“Customers will always have choices and your first impression is more important than timing of launch. We will launch when the product is right and we’re willing to miss short-term gains to build long-term trust and value with our customers. We have concentrated our focus on building betting products that are US-centric and easy-to-use for the mass market.”
Soo Kim is a New Yorker who has been Bally’s Chairman since 2016. He commented about Bally’s plans in a January interview on CNBC.
“New York is an interesting place,” Soo Kim said. “You can literally open an account with one person, open another account with another, get your free promotional money and bet different ways on the same game and you will win on one of them. I don’t know why everyone is not doing that. We will launch sometime in April, I think is the plan.”
Plans change, it appears.
Bally's Background
Rhode Island-based Bally’s currently has 14 casinos across 10 states, a racetrack in Aurora, Colorado (Arapahoe Park), as well as off-site betting licenses in 15 states. Bally Interactive operates the company’s online offerings, including its Bally Bet sports betting brand app, a fantasy sports site and a free-to-play, business-to-business game provider.
Last year, Bally’s also bought Gamesys Group, an online gaming company based in England, for $2.7 billion. In its most recent quarter, Bally’s revenue reached $315 billion with a net loss of $14.7 billion.
