New Yorkers remain split over online sports betting, but the balance leans negative. In a Siena Research Institute poll released on July 22, 39% of state residents said online sports gambling is bad for New York, while 22% said it is good and 31% sat in the middle.
The same survey found that 25% of New Yorkers had placed a bet of any size on a sporting event in the past year. Among those bettors, 84% said they used online sportsbooks, while 54% said they had bet with friends and family, 41% through casinos and 24% with bookies.
Attitudes toward the broader advertising environment were closely divided. New Yorkers were split almost evenly on whether online sportsbooks should be allowed to advertise during televised sporting events, with 44% in favor and 43% opposed; 14% said they did not know. Half of respondents, 52%, said commentators making remarks on potential bets and odds during live games is bad for sports, and 23% were unsure.
The poll showed a clear age gap. Among residents over 50, 50% said online sportsbooks should not be allowed to advertise during sports on TV, compared with 36% of those under 50. On live betting commentary, 62% of older residents said it was bad for sports, versus 44% of younger adults.
Views on online sports gambling itself also differed by age. Among residents under 50, 27% called it good for New York, 33% called it bad and 34% were in the middle. Among those over 50, 46% said it was bad, 29% were in the middle and 16% said it was good.
Travis Brodbeck, associate director of data management, said the poll showed “a generational gap” in who participates in and supports sports betting. He said younger New Yorkers were placing bets of their own and tended to view the issue differently from older residents.
The divide was just as sharp between bettors and non-bettors. Among people who had wagered in the past year, 49% said online sports gambling is good for New York, while only 14% of non-bettors agreed. A plurality of non-bettors, 45%, said it is bad for the state.
That split carried into attitudes toward ads and live commentary. On televised sportsbook advertising, 59% of bettors opposed restrictions, while 45% of non-bettors supported them. On betting talk during live games, 49% of bettors said it is good for sports, compared with 57% of non-bettors who said it is bad.
Siena said the poll was conducted from July 1 to 8 among 814 New York State residents, with an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points after weighting. Interviews were drawn from landline and cell phone outreach, text-to-web responses and a proprietary online panel, and the sample was weighted to match state population estimates and party registration patterns.
