Deputy Editor
New York legislators are introducing iGaming and online poker bills, continuing a long and thus far fruitless legalization effort. Proponents will hope 2026 is finally the year they succeed.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. once again sponsors the Senate bill, NY S02614. Addabbo Jr. has long led the charge for the expansion of online New York gambling, including online poker.
A notable shift has occurred in the other chamber, though. Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner is sponsoring a pair of bills. One would redefine poker as a game of skill. The other would “authorize interactive gaming in the state of New York.”
Woerner has previously been active on gambling legislature. Late last year, she introduced a bill requiring betting operators to send problem gamblers seeking treatment to the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS) problem gambling webpage. That effort was part of a number of gambling reform bills introduced in New York.
In prior years, J. Gary Pretlow has sponsored Assembly bills.
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iGaming Bills Back in Both NY Chambers
The latest iGaming bills in New York are largely a continuation of past efforts.
Assemblywoman Woerner’s bill reclassifying poker includes language specifically about Omaha poker and Texas hold’em poker and “material equivalents.” It says they fit the definition of a “contest which pits the skill level of the players against each other.”
“These games are considered to be complex forms of poker which involve player strategy and decision-making,” it says.
Woerner’s bill includes language allowing New York to join the Multi-State Internet Gaming Agreement (MSIGA), so long as other entities in the agreement meet New York’s suitability standards.
Online poker would be taxed at a 15% rate, but operators would have to pay a whopping $10 million one-time fee for licensing. That fee would get deducted from operator taxes for the first five years.
In other words, operators would need to clear $66 million in gross gaming revenue for the first five years (about $13 million per year). That’s certainly doable in New York. BetMGM will hit that mark in Michigan, for example, when final numbers roll in, but smaller operators may not be able to make the math work.
Woerner and Addabbo Jr.’s iGaming bills contain similar levies. Casinos would pay a $2 million licensing fee, while “independent contractors” would pay $10 million. Woerner’s bill proposes a tax rate of 25%, while Addabbo Jr.’s bill has 30.5%.
Addabbo Jr.’s bill also limits credit card deposits to $2,500 per year, among other responsible gambling measures.
The bills also give the state’s tribal interests exclusivity over iGaming conducted on their lands.
Can 2026 NY iGaming Succeed Where Past Efforts Failed?
Addabbo Jr. has been pushing for iGaming for several years now. Prior to that, he consistently fought for the legalization of online poker, especially after neighboring states like New Jersey became early adopters.
Thus far, Addabbo Jr. and his Assembly counterparts have found themselves unable to make serious progress on getting a bill passed into law. The question for iGaming and online poker proponents, then, is what has changed that would engender any optimism in 2026?
There are points that favor both optimism and pessimism heading into the new year.
On the one hand, New York has finally wrapped up its Downstate casino licensing process. That issue took precedence over trying to get an iGaming bill passed, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul indicating she wouldn’t sign off on iGaming until that was resolved.
Perhaps she’s more receptive to expanded online gambling now that the retail casinos have been cleared from the political docket.
The current political climate, however, doesn’t seem favorable to near-term gambling expansion. Negative headlines and scandals have abounded. More gambling is a difficult sell right now, and most pundits expect little movement on iGaming from U.S. states in 2026.
The wild card on the scale could be the new casinos themselves. Will they back iGaming legislation or fight it, as Encore has done in neighboring Massachusetts?
Hard Rock, one of the retail casino licensees, figures to be very interested in iGaming. Along with the Seminole Tribe, Hard Rock already operates an online betting monopoly in Florida, which includes slot-like games.
Bally’s also won a license and operates Bally Bet casino in neighboring states New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.
Resorts World, meanwhile, has dabbled in online sports betting but has had less success. It shut down its Resorts World Bet app in New York last June.
Image credit: Shaunfrombrooklyn/Wikimedia Commons (license)
