THOMPSON - Betting on sports using your mobile phone is becoming a reality soon after the New York State Gaming Commission has approved the licensees.

According to Thompson Town Supervisor William Rieber, Jr., it couldn’t come fast enough.

“I’m absolutely thrilled about on-line gaming at Resorts World Catskills,” said Rieber.

According to Rieber, New York recently approved a reduction in host benefit fees and hoped the revenue from mobile sports betting will help the shortfall. Thompson is the host town of Resorts World Catskills Casino.

Moreover, Rieber said, “My hope is that they implement it as expeditiously as possible. We’ve already left too much money on the table by not doing it before New Jersey and Pennsylvania.”

The gaming commission recently approved the licenses and operators and the regulations that will govern mobile sports betting.

One of the mobile sports betting requirements is for a casino to host the servers that will take the mobile sports wages.

The regulation also states that the casino has to aid in preventing fraud and crime on the sports wages that are placed through the casino.

Before the updated regulations were released, the New York State Gaming Commission announced the accepted vendors in the state that can operate. The mobile sportsbooks that are allowed to operate in the state are BetMGM Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings Sportsbook, FanDuel Sportsbook, BetRivers, PointsBet, Resorts World, Bally Bet, and WynnBET.

Sports betting is already happening at Resorts World Catskills at their Sportsbook 360 lounge, but that requires in-person betting. On November 14, 2018, Resorts World Catskills entered into a sportsbook and digital gaming agreement with Hillside LLC, an affiliate of bet365 Group Limited.

A recent report from the gaming commission shows that $3.9 million in sports bets alone were placed at Resorts World Catskills in October 2021, with the casino keeping $222,437 after bets were settled.

There is no set timeline for when mobile sports betting will go live. Some reports have indicated it could begin in early 2022, just in time for Super Bow LVII.