Gambling is Now Legal in New York, Now My Head Won’t Stop Spinning

If you have entered the world of legal mobile sports betting as I have, you might be feeling a bit overwhelmed, I know I am!

It's a date that many sports fans have been waiting for, sports betting is now legal in New York and now we can bet on all of our favorite sports from the convenience of your smartphone. I know that I personally have been wagering on sports for many years and the days of having to meet my bookie in the Shop-Rite parking lot in New Paltz are long gone...LOL!

The switch was officially flipped on Saturday and to say the amount of things you can wager on is CRAZY! Now, I'm more of an old-school gambler so I'm more familiar with only betting on a team to win by either covering the spread or betting on the money line, which involves odds. Pretty simple stuff but when I first opened the app I've chosen to bet with, I was welcomed with about 3 million choices of what to bet on.

I sat staring at my phone for a good hour on Saturday borderline drooling over the options. Do I bet the spread, the money line, do I bet on who I think is going to score a touchdown? WOW!!!

What Can You Legally Bet on in New York?

As of Saturday, January 10th, 2022 you can bet on all major sports including football, basketball, baseball, soccer, golf, and more. If it's played the odds are you can find a way to now bet on it legally.

Words You Need to Learn to Understand What Your Betting on

One thing that confused me while I was deciding what I was going to bet on was all of the "terms" that were being used. To get familiar I've come up with a few that might help you along the way:

Point Spread/Spread - The number of points the better team is favored by over the underdog.

Favorite - The team that is expected to win the game. According to ESPN, depending on the sport, the favorite will lay either odds or points. For example, in a football game, if a team is a 2.5-point favorite, it will have to win by three points or more to be a winner.

Underdog - The team that is expected to lose straight up.

Money line - A bet where your team only needs to win because the point spread is replaced by odds.

Over/Under - The terms used to describe the total combined points in a game.

Parlay - A bet where multiple teams or props are bet on. To win all selections must win and the more teams you bet the better odds you get. Remember if one of your selections loses the whole bet is lost.

Prop or Proposition Bet - A special bet like who will score a touchdown or how many yards will a player have in a game. In some games, you can "prop bet" who will win the coin toss.

These are the terms I've had to learn so far but I know there are a ton of other ones that I'll come across over the next few weeks. As I come across them I'll update this article to include them.

If you do plan on gambling at any time remember that it is supposed to be done for fun and never bet with money you can't afford to lose. Good luck!!