A new bill authored by the Chair of the New York Assembly Committee on Racing and Wagering would limit how the state’s online sportsbooks can provide problem gambling support.
Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner introduced Assembly Bill 9146 on Oct. 17, and it has been referred to the committee she chairs for consideration.
The act would expressly ban mobile sportsbooks from providing counseling, therapy or other treatment services for bettors in New York via any avenue other than directing them straight to the state Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). “The mobile sports wagering operator shall not advertise or promote any other organization or entity that provides counseling, therapy or treatment services for compulsive play,” reads the text of Woerner’s bill.
More problem gambling oversight needed?
OASAS is the designated New York agency for addiction services, including problem gambling. The office told SBC Americas that all of its operated and certified services are available to all New Yorkers regardless of their ability to pay or where in the state they live.
It oversees more than 1,700 prevention, treatment and recovery programs for Empire State residents and has certified 51 outpatient providers and more than 100 private practitioners to offer outpatient treatment for problem gambling. The office said that online sports betting has been the number one reason for people contacting OASAS services since it was legalized in 2022.
“We know from the statistics that in New York, more people are seeking help for problem gambling,” Woerner told SBC Americas. “But, really, only the platforms themselves know how many people are requesting their provider. We’ve got no real visibility into the prevalence of the problem, and I think it’s important for us to have that visibility into not only how many people are raising their hands and saying, ‘I need help,’ but also what has led them to that.”
New York sportsbooks’ own in-app tools unaffected
Current New York law requires sportsbooks to provide links to and contact information for OASAS on their websites and platforms, but allows them to direct users to treatment from other organizations. Several sportsbooks operating in New York such as DraftKings and BetMGM work with third-party providers like Kindbridge Behavioral Health to offer problem gambling support.
What Assembly Bill 9146 would not do is prevent sportsbooks from offering in-app responsible gambling tools on their platforms, such as deposit limits, wager limits, time limits and voluntary self-exclusion.
FanDuel offers RG tools such as the My Spend tracking dashboard and the AI-assisted Real-Time Check-In service that it unveiled at SBC Summit Americas in May. Meanwhile, DraftKings announced the launch of My Budget Builder in August, a way for bettors to set more customized spending limits and reminders. In a campaign for Responsible Gaming Education Month in September, DraftKings ran a sweepstakes promotion that gave customers the chance to win NFL tickets by using its tools like My Budget Builder and My Stat Sheet.
Problem gambling top of mind for largest US betting market
Woener’s new bill is part of a bigger push to beef up the guardrails around the largest state online betting market in the U.S.
Her committee, with the Assembly Committee on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, held a hearing last week to discuss options for legislative measures next year. She cited affordability checks, wagering caps, limits on the use of AI to target players with custom promotions, stronger advertising restrictions and bans on credit cards or third-party payment platforms as potential avenues.
Woerner noted to SBC Americas that several bills have been introduced into her committee already. One, another of hers, would revamp the state’s self-exclusion process to allow gamblers to submit requests electronically.
“We made note of some of the suggestions that witnesses at the hearing provided, and we’re mapping bills that have already been introduced to those elements,” she added. “I fully expect that we will go into January with a package of bills for next year.”
Meanwhile, Sen. Joe Addabbo, who filed Senate versions of some of Woerner’s bills in 2025, spoke with SBC Americas in September about his Senate Bill S8352, which would make it mandatory for insurance policies that provide medical coverage to also cover problem gambling outpatient services.
