New York sportsbooks take over 600 million bets in first 2 weeks

The figures show that New York sportsbooks took more than 600 million bets from phones or computers in the first two weeks of the activity being legal this month.

The New York State Gaming Commission reported that the four currently operating mobile sportsbooks - FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars and Rush Street Interactive -- handled more than $603 million worth of bets for the weeks ending January 9 and 16.

An additional $8.5 million worth of bets were made at the in-person sportsbooks in New York state over the same period, bringing the total to $611.5 million.

That would surpass $1.2 billion and would rival the best months New Jersey's nation-leading sports betting market has ever had.

The New York sportsbooks reported $48.2 million in sports betting revenue, but the revenue of mobile sports operators in the Empire State is 51%, compared to 13% in New Jersey.

New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. said that we always knew New York had this kind of potential, just by how many New Yorkers had been going over to New Jersey to bet. "We have done this with only four sports books operating, with more coming online soon," said New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr.

The figures were reported by FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars and Rush Street Interactive. In October, New Jersey set the national monthly record for the largest amount of bets made known as handle when its casinos and sportsbooks took $1.3 billion in bets. They took over $1.2 billion in November and December.

With the NFL playoffs, NBA and NHL under way - and additional sportsbooks yet to begin operating - New York appears certain to break that record, and soon.

Caesars had the most bets on $257.6 million among mobile operators in New York, followed by FanDuel at $200.3 million, DraftKings at $134.7 million and Rush Street at $10.6 million.

Among brick-and- mortar sportsbooks, Rivers Casino in Schenectady took nearly $3.3 million worth of bets, the del Lago Casino in Waterloo took $2.9 million, Resorts World Catskills handled $2.2 million and Tioga Downs Casino in Nichols handled $757,115 worth of bets.

The presence of the Buffalo Bills in the NFL playoffs is helping drive interest among new bettors in the state. The Bills play the Kansas City Chiefs in a divisional round game Sunday.