In New York and the recently-launched sportsbook inside Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady reportedly experienced an influx of punters last week thanks to the start of this year’s edition of the National Football League (NFL).

According to a Sunday report from the Times Union newspaper, the property owned by Rush Street Gaming opened the state’s first sportsbook on July 15 offering aficionados the ability to place cash-only wagers on a wide range of professional and collegiate sports including action from the NFL. The just over 5,000 sq ft facility purportedly features table and club seating for up to 80 patrons alongside a giant light-emitting diode (LED) video wall that is able to display every game being played.

Lucrative weekend:

The 100th edition of the NFL started on Thursday evening with a game between the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers and interest in this contest reportedly saw the sportsbook inside Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady chalk up its second biggest day in terms of wagering volumes. This was purportedly followed by Saturday when the collegiate football season began although the upstate New York property’s General Manager, Justin Moore, revealed that these had both been topped by Sunday when another twelve NFL games had been screened.

Moore told the Times Union…

“Today is by far the biggest volume we’ve seen since the sportsbook opened. We’ve never had a line for kiosks. Huge demand today. It’s really exciting.”

Legitimizing legislation:

Opened in February of 2017 at a cost of $330 million, Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady is reportedly able to offer sportsbetting after state lawmakers spent more than a year determining whether the activity was permitted under legislation that had allowed for the opening of four Las Vegas-style casino resorts, which moreover encompass Del Lago Resort and Casino, Tioga Downs Casino Resort and Resorts World Catskills. The newspaper explained that this had followed a ruling from the United States Supreme Court that invalidated the previous Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) prohibition on sportsbooks located outside of the state of Nevada.

Principal position:

Citing official figures from the New York State Gaming Commission, the Times Union reported that Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady is so far sitting atop the state’s newly-opened sportsbetting market courtesy of August gross sportsbook revenues of $445,291. This purportedly compares to aggregated takings of just over $338,600 from the three other such venues in New York with Moore revealing that his Schenectady property may soon look to expand its sportsbook by adding even more kiosks.

Moore told the newspaper…

“To me this looks like a lot of new faces that I’ve never seen in the casino before. That’s why this is so important for us.”