ALBANY -- DraftKings Inc. and the del Lago Resort & Casino announced Monday they will partner to provide a sports-betting operation at the Finger Lakes casino.
The move comes as New York has yet to put forth regulations so four upstate casinos can take bets on sports.
But if and when the state Gaming Commission formalizes the rules, del Lago said it would be ready to offer sports betting at its $420 million casino through its partnership with the daily fantasy sports giant.
“We see DraftKings as a fantastic and strategic partner in our sports book operation at del Lago Resort & Casino, and this deal represents a tremendous move forward for our property in general,” said Brent Stevens, co-chairman of del Lago
How expansive the sports book at del Lago could be is uncertain, as well as when it could start.
The state Legislature left the Capitol last month without a new law that would allow for sports betting at all New York racetracks, casinos and off-track betting parlors.
The bill was developed after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in May that states could legalize sports betting.
New York, however, has a 2013 law that allows sports betting at its four upstate casinos: in the Catskills; Albany area; del Lago and Southern Tier.
Native American casinos in western and central New York will also be allowed to start sports betting, but they have not indicated if and when they would proceed.
The state Gaming Commission indicated in May it is developing regulations, and it meets again Monday.
At Tioga Downs in the Southern Tier, owner Jeff Gural last month it would partner with Paddy Power Betfair, the European bookmaker, to provide sports better there and at the Meadowlands Racetrack in north New Jersey -- which Gural owns and which starting taking bets last weekend.
For del Lago, adding sports betting would be a boost to its sagging revenue. In recent months, owner Thomas Wilmot has sought state tax breaks to help its operation.
The Tyre, Seneca County, and the Boston-based DraftKings said they hope to have mobile and online sports wagering if legislation is passed to legalize sports wagering.
The current law only allows for betting at the four casinos, not online.
“New York is one of the largest revenue opportunities for future sports wagering operators," Jason Robins, CEO and co-founder of DraftKings, said in a statement.
"We are thrilled to partner with del Lago Resort & Casino to offer sports fans a unique and novel sports betting experience, both at a physical sportsbook and on mobile when permitted,”
DraftKings is already running a sports book at the Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City.
It said its plans in New York would be to launch a sports betting app along with a web-based platform that would in addition to its daily fantasy sports games.
In 2016, the state legalized daily fantasy sports games.
