• Play Real Online Casino Games From New York State Park
• Play Real Online Casino Games From New York State Fair

Poker players in upstate New York have more choices of where to play, with four commercial casinos opening since late 2016 to join four tribal casinos offering live games.

Legal poker rooms and full-fledged casino gaming haven’t cracked the New York City metro market yet, but players looking for a Hold’em or Omaha game have a variety of options elsewhere in the state.

Free to play and real money casino games If you are in New York in 2019, you have two choices when it comes to online casino games. There are several legal play-money casinos where you play games with. Online Gambling In New York As of the time of this writing, New York has no specifically legalized and regulated forms of online gambling within the state. The most recent attempts at anything close were.

A state law allowing commercial casinos targeted areas that needed an economic boost, says Dave Urie, poker room manager at the $1.2 billion Resorts World Catskills, which had a grand opening in May 2018 in Monticello. Other commercial casinos are in Schenectady, Waterloo, and Nichols.

Tribal casinos with poker rooms are at Turning Stone in Verona, Seneca Niagara in Niagara Falls, Seneca Allegany in Salamanca, and Akwesasne in Hogansburg, which is so close to the Canadian border that some slot machines accept Canadian currency.

Competition for players has picked up as players get more choices.

“We’re still growing our room and brand,” says Dave Grubb of the poker room at Rivers Hotel and Casino. “There’s a big poker community in the capital region.”

For example, to counter the August grand opening of MGM Springfield in Massachusetts, about 100 miles away, his room will offer an hourly $1,000 high-hand bonus for six days.

All the casino poker rooms in New York are smoke-free. New York law requires commercial casinos – Tioga Downs, del Lago, Rivers and Resorts World Catskills – to be smoke-free throughout. Tribal casinos are allowed to have smoking areas inside the buildings.

All offer daily or weekly tournaments and NLHE; all except the five-table Akwesasne room also deal Omaha and occasionally a stud game when there’s enough interest.

Five rooms are listed on the Bravo phone app: Turning Stone, Resorts World, Rivers, Tioga Downs and Seneca Niagara. Del Lago uses the InTurn app by Bally Technologies.

Turning Stone was the first legal casino in the state, opening in 1993. Before that, underground poker games were so well- known that they were an integral part of the plot for the 1998 movie “Rounders,” starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton.

For an excellent history of New York’s poker evolution – from the “Goulash Joints” of the 1960s to the growth of private card clubs in the 1980s to the state’s role in the Black Friday crackdown of online sites in 2011 – see PlayNY.

Here is a look at casino-based poker rooms in New York, ranked by number of tables.

Download online poker apps in NY and bet in NJ

Turning Stone Resort Casino

Location: 5218 Patrick Rd. Verona, NY 13478
Phone: (315) 361-8676 (poker room)
Website:www.turningstone.com/gaming/poker-room
Tables: 32
Promotions: High-hand bonuses; Bad Beat jackpot
Comp rate: $1 per hour; $10 food voucher given for three hours of play between 1 and 10 a.m.; “rake back” promo offers cash reward ranging from $40 for 40 to 59 hours of monthly play to $250 for 200-plus hours.
Extras: Phone-charging ports at every seat; free wifi; tableside massage service for $1 per minute; big tournaments include Empire State Hold ’Em championships offer tournaments with $50,000 and $100,000 guaranteed prize pool;
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $1 for promotions
Trivia: Straddle and Button Straddle available on select games
About the property: Opened in 1993; casino has 1,715 slot machines and 85 house-banked table games; the site includes four hotels with a total of 707 rooms, two spas, five golf courses, more than 20 dining options, a showroom, a 5,000-seat arena, and a heliport.

Resorts World Catskills

Location: 888 Resorts World Drive Monticello, New York 12701
Phone: 845-428-7200 Ext. 1785
Website: www.rwcatskills.com/casino/poker
Tables: 19
Promotions: High-Hand bonus, awarded every 20, 30 or 60 minutes; Bad Beat jackpot;
Comp rate: $1 per hour
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $2 for promotions
Extras: Direct access to poker room from casino parking garage; restrooms and cashier cage within room; in-room food service; massage service available
Trivia: Feature game is $5-10 Omaha High-Low and Seven-Card Stud Eight-or-Better (O.E.), with full kill on Wednesdays and Fridays
About the property: Opened in May 2018; casino has 2,150 slot machines and 150 house-banked table games and private gaming salons; the all-suite hotel has 332 rooms, a spa, two indoor pools and two fitness centers; the RW Epicenter entertainment venue can seat 2,500.

Rivers Casino and Resort

Location: 1 Rush Street: Schenectady, NY 12305
Phone: 518-579-8810 (poker room)
Website:www.riverscasinoandresort.com/casino/poker-room
Tables: 16
Promotions: High-hand bonus may also include free entry into tournaments, and players may use only one hole card to qualify; “Unlucky Sevens,” a promo similar to a bad-beat jackpot, splits $77,777 among all players at a table where quad sevens or better gets beaten; royal flush bonus, also can be won using only one hole card.
Comp rate: $1 per hour for most games; $1.50 per hour for $5-10 no-limit and $20-40 limit
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $2 for promotions
Extras: Text-to-order food service; free wifi, phone-charging ports at each seat; featured cash games include 20-40 Limit Hold ’Em on Tuesdays and $20-40 Omaha High-Low on Wednesdays and Thursdays; big tournaments include Capital Region Classic with $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, a Monster Stack event with a $100,000 guaranteed prize pool, and the Rivers Poker Open with a $200,000 guaranteed prize pool.
Trivia: Only “Poker Night in America” room in the state.
About the property: Opened February 2017; casino has 1,150 slot machines, 67 house-banked table games, and off-track betting service; site features 165-room Landing Hotel and a 10,000-square-foot Event Center.

Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino

Location: 310 Fourth St. Niagara Falls, NY 14303
Phone: 716-278-6300 (poker room)
Website:www.senecaniagaracasino.com/casino/poker
Tables: 23
Promotions: High-hand bonus; Bad Beat jackpot; weekly tournament with $20 buy-in and $1,000 guaranteed prize pool
Comp rate: $1 an hour for most cash games; $2 an hour for $2-5 No Limit Hold ’Em
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $2 for promotions
Extras: Free wifi, complimentary beverages, phone chargers, tableside massage
Trivia: Stop for Mid-States Poker Tour and host of own Summer Slam and Western New York Poker Challenge tournament series
About the property: Opened in 2002; casino has more than 3,600 slot machines and 90 house-banked table games; hotel has 604 rooms, a full-service spa and salon, indoor swimming pool and 2,400-seat entertainment venue; site is near Niagara Falls State Park and the 18-hole Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course.

Del Lago Resort & Casino

Location: 1133 State Route 414 Waterloo, NY 13165
Phone: 315-946-1759 (poker room)
Website:www.dellagoresort.com/casino/poker
Tables: 14
Promotions: High-hand bonus; Bad Beat jackpot
Comp rate: $1 per hour
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $2 for promotions
Extras: Free wifi; charging station at each table; instead of Bravo poker app, players can use InTurn phone app by Bally Technologies to get on waiting list and check current games or promotions.
Trivia: Del Lago was the second casino to sign casino to sign a sports-betting partnership with DraftKings, setting the stage for a retail sportsbook and an online operation if the state approves legislation. The agreement was announced July 16. DraftKings’ first partnership was with Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
About the property: Opened in January 2017; casino has 1,956 slot machines and 85 house-banked table games; the hotel has 205 rooms and a spa.

Tioga Downs Casino Resort

Location: 2384 W. River Road Nichols, New York 13812
Phone: 607-699-7588
Website:www.tiogadowns.com/gaming/poker-room
Tables: 12
Promotions: High-hand bonuses, Bad Beat jackpot, hot seats, hot hands
Comp rate: $1 per hour
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5, plus $1 or $2 for promotions
Extras: All players get all-you-can-eat pizza from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturdays
Trivia: Home to the state’s only WSOP poker room
About the property: Opened in December 2016; casino has 944 slot machines and 32 house-banked table games; hotel has 160 rooms; harness racing track adjoins casino.

Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino

Location: 768 Broad Street Salamanca, NY 14779
Phone: 716-945-8902 (poker room)
Website:www.senecagames.com/senecapoker-salamanca
Tables: Eight
Promotions: High-hand bonuses
Comp rate: 60 cents per hour
Rake: $4 max, plus $2 for promotions
Trivia: Opens at 10 a.m. Wednesday through Sunday; closed Mondays and Tuesdays. Poker room is about three-fourths of a mile from the hotel-casino, with shuttle service provided.
About the property: Opened in 2004; casino has 1,800 slots and 33 house-banked table games; hotel has 413 rooms, a spa and salon, indoor pool, fitness facility, and 2,400-seat event center. The hotel and main casino is at 777 Seneca Allegany Blvd.

Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort

Location: 873 State Route 37 Hogansburg, NY 13655
Phone: 877-992-2746
Website:www.mohawkcasino.com/gaming/poker-room
Tables: Five; room opens at 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, at noon Saturday and Sunday
Promotions: Bad Beat jackpot
Comp rate: $1 per hour
Rake: 10 percent of pot, up to $5; no additional promo rake
Extras: Cell-phone charging station, free wifi; tournaments scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, with cash games starting afterward; cash games are 1-2 No Limit Hold ’Em, differentiated with buy-in ranges of $40 to $100, $50 to $200, and $100 to $300.
Trivia: “Akwesasne” means “Land where the partridge drums.”
About the property: Opened in 1999; casino has more than 1,600 slot machines and about 30 table games, plus a 540-seat bingo hall; hotel has 150 rooms, spa, fitness center and RV park.

Given the blend of people, the mix of cultures, the liberty of opinions, the open-mindedness and the renowned flair for profitable business, this state is known to have, we would have thought that New York online casinos would be a custom option by now. Fact is though that the state indeed shares the mixed view that the whole nation holds on the United States online gambling. NY has casinos and race tracks, an expanded charitable gaming structure and was one of the first states in the country to organize a state lotto. However, it seems it has a tough time keeping up with the novelties in this field, since sports betting and online gambling NY hasn’t managed to legalize by now, although, the fair is to say, not for lack of trying in some regards.

Best New York Online Casino Sites

Play Real Online Casino Games From New York State Park

Contents

NY Gambling Laws

The state of NY has a number of Indian tribes which have taken on the opportunity created by the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and have started businesses in their reservations, in the form of land-based casinos. This law states, among other important regulations, that no corporate tax is to be paid by tribal casinos, which make for a great business, up from the start. Unfortunately, being passed in 1988, this bill says nothing about online gambling in NY, which creates quite a predicament for these newly emerged websites, as we’ll see next.

At first glance, there is a somewhat chaotic display of gambling opportunities across the state. NY City has a population of over 8.5 million, with an approximate number of 67 million tourists predicted in 2019. All these people only have access to the staggering number of 2 casinos in the NY City metropolitan area: Resorts World Queens and Empire City Casino. With these numbers in mind, the question of whether can you gamble online seems to only have one logical answer. Less fortunate for players, the authorities that are responsible for passing New York online gambling laws, don’t see the need for creating additional options of wagering.

The Gaming Commission and authorities won’t license any other casinos here, in order to not undermine the already dwindling business of the upstate tribal casinos. Many analysts predict a saturation of the gaming market with the number of optimal casinos being overpassed, based on revenues dropping for some of the newest opened establishments. The first appeared tribal casinos blame the decreasing of incomes on the newly created businesses, which they feel have dissipated the offer for gambling options. This being a general feeling, there is no chance of them agreeing to extra competition, be it the opening of new casinos, or the legalization of online casinos NY.

Legislation Terms

Swiftly looking through the legal language used for the defining of approved gambling, the concept of “contest of chance” appears. Therefore, any activity, that trades anything of material value, which is bound to offer an outcome which is, totally or partially, affected by chance, is forbidden.

There are a couple of exceptions mentioned, such as the race tracks betting and charitable gaming. The classic casinos might have been included in the banned category, only they are protected under the Indian reservations’ federal law mentioned above. And real money casinos online that pay real cash in New York don’t fall under the same regulations and are therefore prohibited.

The contest of chance stated affects the online sports betting market as well, regardless of the latest Supreme Court decision that leaves sports booking in the state’s regulators responsibility. Actually, the concept has such a large interpretation, that even social gaming is considered illicit as long as a fee or material winnings are involved. If PlayMGM is forbidden in this state, what expectations could we have on NY online gambling?

Considerations on Online Gambling

This subject has always had a special status, and many have wondered: is online gambling legal in NY? In fact, the recent decade has brought a thorough debate on the legalization of online poker, although opening NY online casinos has never a discussed issue so far.
The battle towards establishing scenery for legal online gambling in NY has been in the detriment of the idea’s supporters. A bill which proposed seeing poker as a game of skill and thus over passing the contest of chance terminology has been passed two times in Senate already, only to be shut down in General Assembly. The 2019 bill makes it the seventh year in a row when trying to regulate poker games and although we can’t predict its chances of succeeding, at least the fact that law-makers proposing this don’t back down, gives us hope of change.
But this struggle doesn’t mean there aren’t any ways of enjoying the perks of online betting. There is a constantly increasing number of offshore online gambling sites, licensed in countries where this activity is not frowned upon, that offer their services to US residents, New York state’s population as well. There are some specifications to be wary about, but this is available for any other website that involves real money transactions: verify that the site is licensed, verify that it displays security measures, check other user’s reviews, or read the specialized sites’ reviews and see if they’re on any blacklists. We gathered such information on our website. And you definitely have to check out our Bovada Casino review. Bovada is legal in New York and is one of the best online casinos for US players.

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Offline Gambling

Traditional casinos

The status of tribal casinos being protected, as mentioned earlier, makes them hold a sort of monopoly on New York slots. Along with the 17 casinos owned by various tribes, such as Seneca or Oneida, nine racinos are also available for players, in this state. The revenues of some of these racinos have seen a drop in figures, making most struggle and creating a wave of discontent among other casino owners across the state. They all believed the market couldn’t stand for any more venues of sorts, without creating a dent in their current enterprises. This is hardly the best scenario for New York online casino concept to come into the stage.

Race Tracks and Off-track Betting

New York State gambling stage also holds race tracks, among the racinos mentioned above. The Belmont Park horse track hosts one of the prestigious derbies in the country. Off-track betting is also available in more than one location statewide, with simulcasting more than 200 tracks across the country. For this area of online gambling, NY could have used the benefits of the Internet to create easier access for those willing to bet.

Charitable Gaming

Talking about gambling in NYC wouldn’t have been complete, without mentioning a category also stipulated in the exceptions part in the law on wagering: raffles and bell jar games. With prizes that are limited to 6000 USD per game for raffles and 1000 USD for the simplest bell jar game, these are most popular among the NY population. Starting 2018, the online sale of raffle tickets has been made available, hopefully meaning a first baby step towards being able to gamble online NY.

Social Gaming

There has been news about private gatherings in celebrities’ flats that the police have raided on account of playing illegal poker. So, instead of inviting friends over for a nice Hold’em, ask yourself: perhaps is it legal to gamble online? Of course, that as long as no rake or table fees are required, no one is going to raid you friendly to get together. As well as playing with your friends in any private room in an online casino for New York residents, is not a problem by any US law.

Future Prospects

Online Poker

Is online poker legal in NY, remains a query with a negative answer still? Although, thus far, many have tried to change the New York online gambling laws. A solid proof to sustain this was the newest 2019 bill which aims at deeming poker a game of skill. However, the road towards creating the first NY online casino lies far ahead still, seeing how not even a discussion on this aspect has taken place.

Sports Betting

Players in the field of online sports betting in New York seem to hold a higher hope of success. Since the Supreme Court ruling in 2018, many deals between grand operators in Las Vegas and local casinos have been made, hoping for a shift in the view on sports booking. With an additional lobby, the lawmakers might just take a second look at their decisions and perhaps start influencing the online betting in NY market.

You Might Also be Interested in:

PA online casinos
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Connecticut online gambling
New Jersey (in progress)

❓ Are casinos legal in New York?

Yes. Gambling in New York is monopolized by a number of tribal casinos and race tracks casinos. These are the places where all New York slot machines, as well as table games, can be found. Additional to these, lots of places where charitable organizations hold raffles are spread around the state. Unfortunately, when it comes to online casinos NY has a dramatic shortage.

❓ Is gambling legal in New York in places other than tribal casinos?

Yes. Gambling in NY State is also available in establishments known as racinos that combine race tracks with casinos. Also, there are a number of online casinos licensed in other countries, which welcome NY players.

❓ Is online gambling legal in NY?

Although Internet gambling is not legalized in this state, there is the possibility of accessing a number of online casinos for real money by NY residents. These virtual casinos are licensed in trustworthy countries such as Canada, Malta or Curacao and offer increased security measures for protecting players’ personal and financial data.

❓ What is the minimum legal gambling age in NY?

18 is the New York State gambling age for lottery and bingo, while casinos can establish a minimum age restriction starting with 18 to 21 years old.

❓ What are the accepted ways of transferring money in and out of the account in online casino for NY residents?

For those playing in any New York online casino accepting residents, it’s easy to access their winnings, although it might take a bit longer to receive the actual money, because the means to do so, require a couple of days to come through: bank checks, bank transfers. The fastest ways to get your money in possession are by transferring them to debit or credit cards, or money transfers, but on account of extra security measures, some websites don’t offer these means as a viable option.

❓ Are laws favourable for gambling expansion in the near future?

Play Real Online Casino Games From New York State Fair

There is a bill proposed this year, as has been one in every year for the past 7, which would regulate online poker being seen as a game based entirely on skill. This would take online poker out from under the limitations set by the “contest of chance” concept stated in the laws on gambling. Also, a general feeling of hopefulness is felt, regarding sports betting, with many deals signed between powerful Nevada casinos and state-based establishments, that in the event of a favourable regulation, sports booking facilities to be put in place. Unfortunately, on the matter of setting the first online casino NY law-makers haven’t said a word so far, making it unlikely that anything should happen in this direction, in the near future.