Caesars, Turning Stone to offer sports betting in New York

Turning Stone Resort and Casino will launch sports betting this year with Caesars Entertainment, the Oneida Indian Nation announced today.

“The Lounge with Caesars Sports” will open in 2019, the nation said, after review by a federal agency and issuance of state gaming regulations.

“When it comes to sports betting, Caesars is in a class of its own,” said Ray Halbritter, Oneida nation representative, in a statement.

Caesars Entertainment is one of the country’s biggest gambling companies, with 30 casinos in the U.S., including Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. The company, which also runs Harrah’s resorts, has annual revenues of about $5 billion.

Caesars started offering sports betting in New Jersey in September.

Turning Stone is the latest New York casino to announce a sports betting partnership since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled last May that all states could allow sports betting. Del Lago Resort & Casino, near Waterloo, reached a deal with daily fantasy sports provider DraftKings to create an onsite sports book. Tioga Downs, west of Binghamton, has a similar deal with British gaming company Paddy Power Betfair, and its fantasy arm, FanDuel.

The Oneida nation said that sports betting will be offered at Turning Stone, in Verona, and at the nation’s other two casinos: Yellow Brick Road, in Chittenango; and Point Place, in Bridgeport. Players at all three casinos will be able to redeem their loyalty points and have their tier levels matched at Caesars casinos, and vice versa.

Turning Stone said it will launch sports betting with Caesars after two things happen:

 The National Indian Gaming Commission finishes its review.

 The New York state Gaming Commission releases regulations, which the Oneida nation would adopt.

The nation says it does not need new state legislation because Turning Stone’s existing agreement, or compact, with New York allows nation casinos to add new games that are offered elsewhere in the state. “The nation previously has adopted numerous games under this provision, and the nation now will adopt sports betting, too,” Oneida spokesman Joel Barkin said last year.

A 2013 state law said that when sports betting became legal, it could be offered at the four new non-Indian nation casinos that have opened across Upstate New York since December 2016. Those are Resorts World Catskills, del Lago and Tioga Downs, plus Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady.

Existing New York law makes no provision for online sports bets or sports books at other sites, like race tracks or racinos (tracks with slots). It also prohibits betting on New York college teams and on sporting events taking place within the state.