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Sports Betting Now Legal At Upstate Casinos

SYRACUSE, NY (WRVO) - The New York Gaming Commission voted this month to allow wagers on sports games to take place at any of the four commercial casinos and tribal facilities in upstate. The gambling is restricted to in-person bets at a casino's designated sports lounge, as opposed to online or through mobile devices.

The approval was met with praise at the del Lago Resort & Casino in Seneca County, where construction on one of these lounges is already underway. del Lago General Manager Mark Juliano says the lounge will offer their customers a unique experience.

“They will feel that some of their favorite sports events that they could watch at home or in the local neighborhood tavern are now available in the casino and at del Lago and while they are here, they can add it to the list of many other things to do,” Juliano said.

Juliano says by offering this new type of gambling, del Lago expects to broaden their customer base. The casino has been struggling to meet its expectations for gaming revenues just two years after opening its doors. As a result, Moody's Investor Service downgraded del Lago's credit rating earlier this year and said the outlook remains negative. According to the report, part of the problem is that there are five gambling facilities within 100 miles of del Lago.

Juliano says offering sports betting could help.

“The more you offer people to do, the more reason they have to come,” Juliano said. “In other words, just get them in the door and then the environment and the product and the other offerings kind of take care of themselves.”

In order to offer sports betting, the casinos will first have to apply for a license. del Lago hopes to open their lounge for bets later this summer.