NY Eagerly Embraces Sports Betting, With $600M in Wagers in First 9 Days

New York is pacing to potentially break New Jersey's national record in less than a month of operation

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Algerina Perna | Baltimore Sun | MCT | Getty Images

Mobile sports betting appears to be exploding in New York, with more than $600 million in wagers in the first nine days after launch, the state's Gaming Commission said.

From the Jan. 8 launch through Jan. 16, the aggregate handle, or total amount bet, was about $603.1 million.

“We have been pleased with the handle, which indicates interest in mobile sports wagering and accessibility to the licensed providers," a spokesman said in a statement Saturday.

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Those numbers suggest New York could be on track to break national records quickly. New Jersey set the national record for sports betting last October with $1.3 billion in wagers.

The early New York figures also don't include one operator, BetMGM, which didn't launch operations until Jan. 17.

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With gross gaming revenue from mobile sports betting taxed at 51%, the early results already portend $20 million or more in tax proceeds for the state.

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