New York Attorney General Letitia James sent a clear message to anyone looking to jump into legal NY sports betting for the Super Bowl.
James warned against “misleading” ads on social media and streaming sites that offer risk-free bets and welcome offers but come with contingencies. There will be seven licensed online New York sportsbooks live for Super Bowl betting this Sunday.
“I urge all New Yorkers watching the Super Bowl and betting online for the first time to be careful — don’t let scammers game your gamble,” James said. “Before placing a bet, do your research into the platform, read the fine print of the offer, and follow our other tips to avoid any red flags and keep the odds in your favor.
“Online sports betting companies that fumble their advertising to mislead New Yorkers can expect to hear from my office.”
Detailed tips for New York sports betting customers
The release breaks down James’ concerns into three specific points:
- Learn what others are saying about the platform. The AG’s office suggests reading reviews with the BBB and Trust Pilot. Even those should be taken with a grain of salt, though, considering not many people take the time to leave positive reviews when a service works as expected. Social media can be a great resource to get a real-time read on how operators are performing.
- Read the fine print on bonuses and promo codes. This is a great point for anyone new to online US sports betting. Some promotions can have strict play-through requirements. The office also notes how “risk-free bets” is a bit of a misnomer. Bettors have the wager returned in free credit, not cash, if the risk-free bet loses.
- Beware of unexpected restrictions to your account. Not all operators allow the same activities, the office warned. For instance, at least one platform in New York treats hedging as a violation and can block bettors from withdrawing funds, the office said.
New Yorkers knows what they’re doing
James’ warnings appear quite legitimate.Anyone looking to get down on the Super Bowl that is not familiar with the betting industry can learn from them.
It seems, however, that plenty of New Yorkers are well aware of how to get started and take advantage of promo codes.
New York’s legal sportsbooks took more than $1.6 billion in bets during their first 23 days of operation. That set multiple records, including the most handle for a launch month.
These are not just professional bettors that have been doing this for years at NJ sportsbooks, either. Nearly 88% of the 878,000 unique users registered in New York over the first weekend were new to the regulated US betting industry, according to GeoComply.
