- Fair Play Act to be reviewed by New York lawmakers
- Bill would would make it illegal to limit winning bettors
- New York legislature reconvenes in January
New York is taking aim at operators who are limiting winning players unfairly with the Fair Play Act.
The bill, introduced by Assemblymember Alex Bores this week, targets how sportsbooks can limit winning players.
What Is New York’s Fair Play Act
The Fair Play Act, or Assembly Bill A09125, aims to introduce guidelines for how and why sportsbooks are able to limit winning players. Currently, many regulated sportsbooks are known to severely limit the bet size or to outright ban bettors who are consistently winning too much.
The Fair Play Act prohibits this approach. Operators would only be able to limit players if the reason was related to responsible gambling concerns or sports integrity issues. Problem gambling is defined in New York’s Mental Hygiene Law.
It addition to setting restrictions, the bill propose ways to communicate to players why they are being limited. Sportsbooks would have to send an email within 24 hours explaining how the account is restricted. This includes how long the restriction will last and why it was done.
Bores stated his purpose for introducing the act was to maintain fairness and balance in the New York sports betting industry.
“It just seemed like a fundamentally unfair proposition that these companies would advertise the idea that you could win a lot of money … and then on top of that, these books are regularly banning the people who are winning,” he said. “Winners keep the books honest. Without them, it’s like having a stock market where you could only buy, not sell, and you need both sides of the market for there to be a fair field.”
“Winners keep the books honest. Without them, it’s like having a stock market where you could only buy, not sell. You need both sides of the market for there to be a fair field.” — Assemblymember Alex Bores
Currently, there are eight licensed sportsbook operators in New York. They include Bally Bet, BetMGM, BetRivers, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet, Fanatics, and FanDuel.
New York sports betting handle tops all states in the country and hit a record of over $22 billion last year.
New York Sports Betting Key Stats
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- Biggest US sports betting state
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- $22.7 billion wagered in 2024 sets new record
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- 2024 wagers generated $1 billion+ in tax revenue
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- New York taxes operators a state-high 51%
New York is already one of the toughest states on sportsbook operators. The state charges a nation-high 51% tax rate. Many operators have searched for alternative ways to generate profit to combat this. The options have included raising the minimum bet amount and charging a fee per bet placed.
Next Steps for the Fair Play Act
High taxes and industry leaders stating the need to limit winners to maintain profitability, will garner pushback of the Fair Play Act.
New York would be the first state to approve such a law to protect the interests of winning players if the bill is passed. Operators would have 180 days from the time of the bill coming into law to adjust their practices.
From here, the bill heads to the Assembly’s Racing and Wagering Committee. New York legislature is scheduled to reconvene in January 2026.
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