New York Bill Would Require Sportsbooks To Void Bets After Injuries

A new bill introduced in New York, A 11414, by Assemblymember Jordan Wright, would provide consistency across the board in how online sportsbooks handle injuries or player withdrawals during games. 

Under this bill, if a player is injured or withdraws, the wager would be voided rather than a loss. 

As for the current law/standard, those decisions are purely up to online sportsbooks, with some, historically, even including promotions and bonuses that give you your wager back as bonus bets in the event of losing a prop bet due to injury. 

There were also some other bills recently introduced, including one by Sen. Nathalia Fernandez to restrict billboard advertising for many products, including gambling. Then there's Sen. Andrew Gounardes' bill, which would prohibit mobile betting on college campuses in the state. 

Additionally, there's A 9343, which would ban live bets, and A 7962, which would limit how often players can fund accounts and when sportsbooks can run ads. 

More On Assemblymember Wright's Bill

Going back to Wright's bill, he wants to create what he calls "fair play policies." The bill includes language to call for a policy that adjusts, refunds, or voids bets “when circumstances beyond the control of an authorized sports bettor compromise the validity or settlement of a sports wager.”

Other circumstances include a player not playing or being withdrawn, an event being canceled or suspended, a statistical error or scoring change, and more. 

More language in the bill says that voids must be automatic: 

"Such fair play policy shall: (A) be applied without requiring action by an authorized sports bettor where reasonably practicable; (B) be applied consistently and in a nondiscriminatory manner to similarly situated authorized sports bettors; (C) require that the terms and conditions of such policy are clearly disclosed to authorized sports bettors prior to sports wager placement; and (D) be readily accessible on a mobile sports wagering licensee’s website and platform."

More On Other New York Sports Betting Bills

• Sen. Fernandez's Bill (S 10400): Prohibit displaying or maintaining billboard advertisements for sports betting/gambling. The language in the bill includes fantasy sports, lotteries, casino gambling, and sweepstakes. Last year, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill to ban sweepstakes casinos. 
• Sen. Fernandez's Other Bill (S 10401): Billboard advertisements for those products are removed on the last day of their contract and replaced with PSA's about the potential harms of gambling products. 
• Sen. Goundares' Bill (S 10470): This would prohibit mobile betting on college campuses and would help limit “exposure to gambling for college-aged students” and “reduces distractions in academic settings.”