A provision to legalize sports bets on mobile devices in New York remains on the negotiating table for state lawmakers as the budget heads into overtime.
A source familiar with the discussions said the current talks center around a limited number of statewide operators with multiple betting brands under each operator. This would enable a higher tax rate, generating revenue for the state.
Sports league data would be used, and sold to these operators at what's deemed a commercially reasonable price.
And many of the details could very well be filled in by the state's gaming commission, with the final budget deal providing some rules of the road.
If legalized, New York would be the latest market to be opened up to mobile sports betting, roping in a variety of interests from entities like DraftKings and FanDuel to the major sports leagues.
If this sounds complicated for seemingly straightforward idea, welcome to Albany. New York state government has a way of complicating relatively easy-to-understand and relatable issues of the last decade.
Sausage making in Albany produces complex compromises, like a minimum wage that's increase over different years, in different ways and over different geographic regions.
That's because, quite simply, New York is a complicated state.
And often New York officials are behind the rest of the country when providing a legal framework for services like hailing a car via an app. Where most New Yorkers want to take an Uber to a bar, the issue was really about settling a contentious issue for yellow cab Medallion holders in New York City.
Cannabis legalization to many could spell a trip to a retail outlet to buy marijuana products, but the package of measures was more broadly about how the state approaches criminal justice issues surrounding drugs and drug possession, which have historically fallen against people of color.
Mobile sports betting enters the ecosystem of gambling regulations, casino interests and high-powered sports leagues in New York and is ultimately about balancing all of those interests together.