As March Madness’ Sweet 16 tips off, on Major League Baseball’s Opening Day, New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams is releasing a ‘Suite of Sixteen’ steps to help mitigate the potential harms of gambling in the city and state. This comes as three new casinos were approved for construction in the boroughs, and as sports betting has exploded online. New York has become the national leader in online sports gambling over the last three years.
About $3.3 billion is expected to be wagered in legal gambling on March Madness this year, a 54% increase over the last three years. Over $160 billion in bets were placed in legal sports betting in 2025. With casinos coming to the five boroughs and a sportsbook in every New Yorkers’ pocket, it is urgent that steps are taken to help prevent negative impacts while maximizing the economic benefit of legalization.
The Public Advocates Suite of Sixteen recommendations come in a new report entitled ‘Play It Safe: Mitigating Gambling Harms in New York,” and are built from analysis of other municipalities with physical casinos, as well as recent trends in sports betting and online gambling. Casinos proposals were approved for three projects in January, one in the Bronx and two in Queens.
“With legalized sports betting sweeping the city and three new casinos coming to the five boroughs, we can’t gamble on the health of our neighbors and communities,” said New York City Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams. “We have to be able to both welcome the incoming economic benefits from these activities and acknowledge the harms that often come with it. The city and state are making a big bet, and it’s their responsibility to minimize risk. When the chips are down, we have to step up.”
The report explores the impact of casinos and other forms of gambling across a number of metrics including economic effects, public safety, and educational outcomes, with a specific focus on mental health and addiction. In order to minimize those impacts, the city and state must act now to put investment and infrastructure in place to reduce problem gambling and provide services for those who need it.
The Suite of Sixteen recommendations in the report are:
City Legislative Division
Create a Gambling Harms Mitigation Task Force
City Executive Division
Build Inter-Agency Partnerships on Gambling Harms
State Legislative Division
Improve Data Reporting for Gambling Operators
State Executive Division
Ensure 10-Year Gambling Health Study is Robust
New York levies significant gambling taxes: 51% for sports betting corporation profits and about 25-45% for casino profits, depending on the particular casino. Casinos are touted as economic engines for the regions that host them, and both tax revenues and licensing fees are crucial. At the same time, the report finds that these impacts are often overstated, and are more economically beneficial for sites outside of major metropolitan areas.
The reality is that some casinos derive significant portions of their revenue from problem gamblers. Gambling addiction is a serious and prevalent problem, and the evidence suggests that legalizing sports betting and opening new casinos can exacerbate addiction and other mental health problems.
In addition to funding harm mitigation services, the report finds significant importance placed on advertising – restricting the spaces and strategies in which gambling platforms can advertise, while increasing funding for Public Service Announcements about harm and resources, can have meaningful impact.
“If they choose, people can gamble,” said the Public Advocate. “The government can’t.”
