Senator Joseph Addabbo Jr. praised Governor Kathy Hochul’s 2025 initiatives, but suggested she legalize iGaming to help fund them. [Image: Shutterstock.com]

New York State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr. has praised Governor Kathy Hochul’s vision for 2025 while suggesting she could raise $1bn toward meeting her initiatives by legalizing iGaming.  

On Wednesday, Governor Hochul delivered her 2025 State of the State address, which included over 200 initiatives for the calendar year. 

axing middle class taxes for over 8.3 million people

Among the raft of 2025 initiatives for New Yorkers, Hochul proposed axing middle-class taxes for over 8.3 million people, sending over 8.6 million households $500, and providing up to $1,000 per child benefits to 1.6 million families.

Sports Betting Dime cited Addabbo as asking: “How is she going to pay for this?”

The senator suggested “a couple of ideas.”

“Every year I go into a budget with a little optimism, thinking to myself that if I was the governor, do I want to lose about a billion dollars every year to other states? To an illegal market?”

Abbaddo stated New York lawmakers used the same “waste not” appeal to approach sports betting which he said has gone on to be a huge success for state coffers.

If New York has any chance of approving a legal market for iGaming, Addabbo said Hochul “will have to drive the bus” in getting all parties together to push legislation over the line.