The New York State Bar Association will host a free webinar on mobile sports betting, prediction markets and problem gambling. The session is titled “The New Gambling Landscape: Mobile Sports Betting and Prediction Markets” and is set to run from noon to 1 p.m. on Aug. 17.
Katie Mibaum, team leader at the New York Council on Problem Gambling, will lead the program. NYSBA’s Lawyer Assistance Committee and Sports Committee are sponsoring it.
The association says the webinar will help participants tell the difference between mobile sports betting and prediction markets. It will also examine how growing accessibility has expanded the reach and potential impact of both.
A second focus will be problem gambling. The program is expected to cover warning signs, risk factors and the effects gambling disorders can have on individuals, families and professional lives.
It will also point attendees to treatment options, support services and other resources for people who are struggling with gambling-related concerns, as well as for those trying to help someone else.
Online sports betting was legalized in 2022, and by 2025 nearly $58 billion in bets had been placed in the state, according to the New York State Gaming Commission.
State law authorizes mobile sports wagering when a bet is made through virtual or electronic means from within New York and is transmitted to equipment at a licensed commercial casino gaming facility. The commission controls the wagering menu offered by licensed operators and limits the sports and leagues accepted for wagering.
The commission also defines proposition wagers, or prop bets, as wagers on an individual player or specific event that are not directly tied to the outcome of a game. It generally decides whether to permit them by looking at whether they rely on an official statistic of the sport and carry no negative implication, and it may reject wagers that involve a negative implication controlled by a single player.
New York law also gives sports leagues and governing bodies the ability to seek restriction, limitation or exclusion of certain wagers. In addition, the Gaming Commission and the Office of Addiction Services and Supports must prepare and distribute an annual report to the governor and legislature on the impact of mobile sports wagering on problem gamblers in New York.
OASAS describes gambling harms as a hidden addiction because there are often no outward physical signs. It says gambling can lead to financial, emotional, social, occupational and physical harm, as well as conflicts in relationships with friends and family.
The agency offers a 24/7 HOPEline at 1-877-8-HOPENY, or text HOPENY (467369), to connect people with a trained specialist for gambling-related resources. It also points to free financial counseling through GamFin, self-exclusion options and services that are available regardless of ability to pay.
