members of the New York Senate have introduced a bill which will legalise college and professional sports betting at racetracks, casinos and off-track betting locations. The bill is now awaiting consideration by the Senate’s judiciary committee.

Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992 (PASPA) settles that states can’t sponsor sports betting. However, Nevada, Oregon, Delaware, and Montana were granted special exemptions, as all four of those states were already offering some variation of sports lotteries at the time. Other states, such as New Jersey, South Carolina and New York want the Supreme Court to render the protection act null and void.

Bill number S01282 is sponsored by Senator Tony Avella and New York Assemblyman Gary Pretlow. Pretlow announced his intention to introduce another sports betting bill sometime this year to pressure Congress to make a decision regarding the current protection act. The Supreme Court is scheduled to make a decision this month.