If the leaves on the trees are turning colors, it must mean New York state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. is once again tidying up a bill to bring online casino gaming to the Empire State.

After trying to get a bill off the ground last year, Addabbo is back for a second go-round at New York mobile casinos, confirming to US Bets he’ll be introducing a bill in time for the January session.

“Yes, I will be introducing a bill by the end of the year in time for both the January session and the executive budget,” Addabbo said. “Prior to that, though, a lot of homework has to go into it. Getting feedback from those in the industry, whether it be from labor, the casino industry, what have you. We did the same thing with mobile sports betting, and it worked out great. And yes, while the final mobile sports betting bill and structure wasn’t the one myself and [Assemblyman] Gary Pretlow envisioned, about 65% of our vision got into the bill, and  it turned out to be the number-one mobile sports betting product in the country.”

Addabbo is also attaching iLottery to this bill, and between the two items he foresees somewhere in the neighborhood of a billion dollars in revenue for New York.

“It’s a budgetary item. Frankly, we’re in trouble. I’ll let the economists and state comptroller weigh in, but we’re in trouble fiscally without federal help,” Addabbo said. “You can’t cut your way out of a multi-billion-dollar deficit, can’t raise taxes to that extent, so you need new revenue. And iGaming and iLottery are doable. Other states are doing it and taking our money, and, let’s not kid ourselves, New Yorkers are doing this illegally as well.

“And if I hear my analysts in the industry correctly, we lose about a billion dollars a year. How long can we sit on the sidelines?”

Enter the governor

The key element for any iGaming hopes and dreams is for Gov. Kathy Hochul to include even a whisper of online casino in her executive budget.

“It’s premature to know what the governor is thinking, but all I need is that she’ll explore it in the executive budget,” he said. “Just to open the door to dialogue and negotiation.”

Addabbo said the bill would include a 30% tax rate — roughly the same as the bill he introduced last year, which did not make the executive budget.

But even that is open to discussion, especially considering the 51% tax rate on sportsbooks. 

“The bill will come in at 30%, but that’s what budget negotiations are all about,” Addabbo said.

He is also not concerned about the notion that the lengthy, ongoing, and seemingly never-ending process to award three downstate casino licenses would prevent discussion, passage, and implementation of iGaming.

“New York has the wherewithal to handle the three downstate licenses and simultaneously work on iGaming and iLottery,” Addabbo said.

Photo: Getty Images