New York’s inspector general said mobile sports wagering accounted for 228 of the 481 gaming-related complaints the office received in 2025, putting online betting at the centre of nearly half of last year’s casework.
The office also opened nine full investigations during the year. Those probes involved allegations of fraud, corruption, abuse or other misconduct with possible systemic or financial impact.
According to the report, the office held 19 training sessions for more than 400 New York State Gaming Commission employees, including 15 in person and four virtual sessions. The inspector general’s office said it wants expansion of the gaming industry to be matched by robust oversight and public safeguards.
The office said that, since 2021, it has been responsible for receiving and investigating allegations involving the Gaming Commission and the entities it regulates, while also conducting proactive training designed to prevent misconduct before it occurs. That role was transferred to the state inspector general on June 18, 2021.
As covered earlier this month, state gaming regulators were separately reconsidering biometric safeguards for online sportsbook accounts after hundreds of public comments, most of them opposed.
The report did not spell out the nature of the 481 complaints. The Times Union said they could involve operators, regulators, account handling or other conduct, and noted that the inspector general referred 88 complaints to the state Gaming Commission without indicating whether any were tied to mobile sports betting.
The same article said complaints have risen every year since mobile sports wagering began in 2022. It cited nearly 150% more complaints in the year the market launched, 591 complaints in 2024, and 305 complaints that year involving mobile sports-wagering vendors.
Lucy Lang, the state inspector general, said in a CBS6 interview that the office is paying careful attention to what she called an evolving part of the industry. She also reminded New Yorkers to report suspected wrongdoing to the inspector general’s hotline, 1-800-Do-Right.
