New York Casinos Rise 8.7% in January, Generating $58.7 Million in Revenue

New York commercial casinos recorded $58.7 million in revenue for January, up from the previous year’s figure and representing a year-on-year increase of 8.7%. 

The latest monthly report from the New York State Gaming Commission shows that, of the combined revenue, slots generated $42.8 million, up 14.6% year-on-year from $37.3 million. In contrast, table games were down in January, dropping 1.6% from $14.8 million to $14.6 million. There is no legal NY online casino market.

Retail sports betting generated $521,051 last month, while poker contributed $868,706 to the overall total. 

All four of the state’s casino venues recorded year-on-year revenue rises as well, with Rivers Casino leading the charge, reporting $19 million in revenue last month, up 4.5% year-on-year from $18.2 million. 

Coming in hot on River Casino’s tail, Resorts World Catskills had the second-highest revenue in January with $17.8 million, up 13.8% year-on-year from $15.7 million. The only other casino to report a double-digit year-on-year revenue increase came from Del Lago Resort and Casino, which recorded the biggest revenue gain of the month, up 15.2% from $11 million to $12.7 million. 

Tioga Downs had the lowest revenue of the bunch, reporting $9.1 million, slightly up by 0.4% from the previous year’s figure of $9.07 million. 

New York eyes biometrics to curb underage betting 

As the land-based casino sector in New York continues to grow, the attention of state leaders is focused on the online industry, and particularly the dangers of underage betting. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has called for stronger consumer protections in the Empire State, including the use of biometrics to prevent underage gambling. 

As part of her upcoming State of the State agenda, Gov. Hochul will reportedly direct the New York State Gaming Commission to investigate facial recognition and thumbprint scanners for verifying users' ages. The aim is to stop those under 21 from accessing New York sports betting accounts. 

Reports suggest that regulators have seen an increase in cases where underage users gain access to betting platforms through adults they know, and in a statement to the media, Gov. Hochul elaborated on the rationale behind the upcoming actions, saying that she wants to protect New Yorkers from “predatory and addictive” technologies. 

Hochul is also proposing limits on how sports betting operators use artificial intelligence to target customers. Her plan would restrict AI-driven promotions designed to keep users gambling beyond their intended limits, particularly among younger or more vulnerable bettors.

Beyond prevention, the governor is also reportedly seeking more support for individuals with gambling disorders, including laws to ensure gambling addiction treatment is covered by insurance, the creation of a Gambling Health Institute, and a proposed 10-year statewide study of gambling-related health outcomes and the effectiveness of prevention programs.