Why New Yorkers Are Taking the Train to NJ to Place Boxing Bets

Sports bars around Hoboken have been seeing an unusual surge in demand recently from single male New Yorkers. The reason for this is that New Jersey, unlike New York offers online sports betting.

New York, of course, has a few physical sportsbooks. They are located upstate, which means that for many people it’s easier to just catch the train across to New Jersey. The sportsbooks are able to geo-locate users, so you need only be located in the state to sign-up. Anyone taking the New Jersey trains will have noticed the billboards covered with adverts with sports betting promos. There are now a huge number of , with a new one popping up every few weeks.

FanDuel recently announced that it had seen an increase in New Yorkers signing up to their NJ sports betting app. The company estimates about 22% of its customers in NJ are actually New Yorkers. They even offer a shuttle bus from New York Port Authority to their sportsbook in New Jersey’s Meadowlands racetrack on weekends. New Yorkers who have made the short journey are also able to register for the which has been an incentive for many punters making the short journey.

Despite the Danny Garcia vs Ivan Redkach fight being hosted at the Barclays Center, it is expected that many New Yorkers will hop on a train to NJ to place a bet on the match. This reverse effect is an argument for the legalization of mobile betting in New York, as each sportsbook will be paying tax to the state of NJ, even if it is a New York resident placing it.

New York state is facing a $6.1 million budget deficit, which would make any potential revenue from sports betting an attractive prospect – especially if New Yorkers are currently spending that money in New Jersey.

It is likely that New York will eventually agree to a bill that channels the money back into programs, or social programs that benefit the state. This has happened in many states which initially resisted sports betting, like towards a new water plan for the state.

There is also the potential of sponsorship. Many of the pro sports teams will sign sponsorship deals with sportsbooks if New York State was to legalize online sports betting. Of course, Vegas is synonymous with gambling and boxing – but how New York will handle the merging of these two markets is yet to be seen.