The minimum age to gamble in New York casinos might soon rise if a influential state senator has his demands met.
This week, state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. (D-Queens) presented Senate Bill 2610. The law would ban individuals younger than 21 from gambling within the Empire State.
According to current legislation, individuals 18 years and older can use New York's over 17,600 video lottery terminals (VLTs) situated at nine racinos and off-track betting venues throughout the state. VLTs are similar to slot machines and electronic table games that connect to a centralized lottery system overseen by the New York State Gaming Commission.
VLTs function at Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, Resorts World New York City, Saratoga Casino Hotel, Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack, Resorts World Hudson Valley, Hamburg Gaming at the Fairgrounds, Vernon Downs Casino Hotel, Batavia Downs Gaming, and Jake’s 58 Hotel & Casino.
SB2610 would keep the age to participate in the New York Lottery at 18. Nonetheless, the minimum age to participate in Quick Draw, a keno-style game held every four minutes at bars and small establishments that serve alcohol, is 21.
New York's Age for Gambling
In contrast to the VLT properties, New York's 2013 commercial casino legislation established a minimum age of 21 for participation.
Four casinos have subsequently launched upstate — del Lago Resort and Casino, Resorts World Catskills, Rivers Casino Schenectady, and Tioga Downs. Visitors are required to provide evidence that they are a minimum of 21 years old prior to gaining entry to those gaming areas. The same applies to most tribal casinos in the upstate area, with Turning Stone being one notable exception where those 18 and older can gamble.
Slots, live dealer table games, and on-site sports betting will make their way to downstate in the near future, as the decade-long moratorium on NYC licenses has concluded and the competition for these prized concessions has begun.
Addabbo, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Racing, Gaming, and Wagering, has long sought to align VLTs with commercial casinos to ensure that only individuals of legal drinking age can access them. Since the 2011-12 legislative session, when he first proposed raising the VLT minimum age, he has not been successful.
Addabbo’s SB2610 is initially being evaluated by his Gaming Committee. Last year, comparable legislation passed the committee with a 5-2 vote but then halted in the Senate Rules Committee.
Video Lottery Supports Education
While the New York Gaming Commission oversees the VLT centralized system, the income produced by the games is regarded as a component of the New York Lottery, with all earnings dedicated to supporting public education.
In the fiscal year of 2023-24, spanning from April 1, 2023, to March 31, 2024, VLTs retained approximately $2.4 billion from over $39.5 billion that was wagered. The state's educational funding from the net winnings totaled over $1 billion.
Empire City generated the highest education revenue, totaling $310.8 million. Resorts World NYC followed at $281.4 million, while Jake’s 58 ranked third at $128.9 million.
"The Commission aspires to provide the regulatory structure necessary for New York gaming activity to operate effectively in a global, evolving, and increasingly competitive marketplace to generate revenue for aid to education and for the support of government, and to contribute to overall economic development and job creation in New York,” the mission statement of the New York Gaming Commission reads.
Raising the age for VLT participation would likely reduce the potential for maximizing educational funding. This is why state legislators in Albany have not supported Addabbo's efforts in recent legislative sessions.
Nonetheless, as mobile sports betting flourishes in New York — currently, the wealthiest sports betting market in the nation — greater backing for raising the video lottery age to 21 could become evident.