Can You Play Blackjack in New York?

New York has had tribal casinos since 1993. They legalized commercial casinos in 2013.

Between the two types of gambling venues, the Empire State features numerous slot machines. However, it doesn’t gain as much attention for its table games.

As a result, some gamblers wonder if they can even play blackjack and other table games in this state. I’ll answer this question while discussing New York’s gambling laws along with what forms of blackjack, if any, are available.

Blackjack Is Legal in New York – To a Degree

NY commercial and Native American casinos appear similar in many respects. But they differ in a couple of notable ways.

First off, New York’s commercial casinos are associated with racetracks. Commercial establishments are only allowed to offer slot machines, video poker, and electronic table games.

They can feature blackjack but only in machine form. You won’t find traditional blackjack tables at these casinos.

The five tribal gambling establishments, which are all located in Upstate New York, have more freedoms. They’re allowed to offer slots, video poker, electronic table games, and live table games.

The latter sets Native American casinos apart, because it lets them feature live blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, and baccarat.

When Did New York Legalize Blackjack & Other Casino Games?

The Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 gives Native American tribes the ability to negotiate pacts with their relevant state governments.

New York began such negotiations just a few years after this federal law was signed into effect. They officially approved tribal casinos in 1993. The Oneida Tribe quickly opened the Turning Stone Resort & Casino within the same year.

The Empire State may have been quick to legalize tribal gambling, but they took decades to do the same with commercial establishments.

Albany lawmakers became more motivated to get a gaming bill passed with their horse racing industry on a lifeline. The latter sought casino gambling to help improve their sagging revenues.

Lawmakers presented a gambling expansion bill to New York voters in November 2013. The latter approved the referendum and paved the way for legal commercial casinos.

Why Don’t All New York Casinos Offer Live Blackjack?

The Empire State already made a gaming deal with tribes over two and a half decades ago. Therefore, they had to enter negotiations before presenting voters with a commercial gambling bill in 2013.

The tribes obviously didn’t want extra competition within the state. However, they also collectively owed $500 million in back payments to New York as per their compact agreements.

Lawmakers were finally able to work out an agreement with all of the tribes. One concession is that racinos/commercial casinos can’t offer live table games.

Commercial gambling establishments are still allowed to offer electronic versions of blackjack and other table games. They just can’t feature the live versions due to the most-recent negotiations with tribes.

Is Online Blackjack Legal in New York?

The 2013 expansion bill didn’t include any forms of online gambling. Furthermore, the Empire State’s constitution includes an excerpt that may potentially make internet gaming illegal.

One excerpt states: “[…] any device, machine, paraphernalia or equipment which is used or usable in the playing phases of any gambling activity” is considered unlawful.

This broad definition could be applied to playing blackjack on smartphones, tablets, or computers. On the other hand, New York doesn’t have any specific laws or penalties that apply to internet gambling.

They’ve never arrested anybody for placing online bets either. You stand almost no chance of being busted for playing internet casino games in NY.

Plenty of gaming sites serve this state too. So, you have plenty of options for playing online blackjack in New York as long as the ambiguous laws don’t bother you.

What Other Types of Gambling Are Legal in New York?

In addition to casino gambling, the Empire State offers legal daily fantasy sports (DFS), horse racing, charity gaming, poker, and lotteries.

Horse racing has lost a lot of popularity throughout the United States. Comparatively, though, New York has one of the best racing scenes.

They feature several notable tracks, including Aqueduct Racetrack, Belmont Park, Saratoga Race Course, and Yonkers Raceway. Off-track betting (OTB) facilities are also located throughout the state.

The New York Lottery is among the highest-earning lotteries in the US. It sells scratch-off, instant, and drawing tickets. Statewide games include Pick 10, Take 5, and Win 4.

This lottery also offers tickets for interstate drawings as well. Mega Millions and Powerball are definitely the most-popular among the interstate options.

Upstate New York offers plenty of poker action. Turning Stone is especially popular and has played host to the show Poker Night in America many times.

New York City is famous for its underground poker scene. The 1998 film Rounders perfectly captured the essence of the underground poker rooms, some of which still serve NYC today.

Where Can You Play Casino Blackjack in New York?

New York offers nearly two dozen gambling establishments when accounting for the racetracks, slots parlors, and Native American venues.

As mentioned before, only the tribal establishments can offer live blackjack. But every casino gambling venue throughout the state features some form of the game.

Here are the many options for playing blackjack in New York:

• Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort (Hogansburg)
• Batavia Downs (Batavia)
• Del Lago Casino (Waterloo)
• Empire City Casino (Yonkers)
• (Finger Lakes Gaming & Racetrack (Farmington)
• Hamburg Gaming (Hamburg)
• Lakeside Entertainment (Union Springs)
• Monticello Casino & Raceway (Monticello)
• Resorts World Casino (Jamaica)
• Resorts World Catskills (Monticello)
• Rivers Casino & Resort (Schenectady)
• Saratoga Gaming and Raceway (Saratoga Springs)
• Seneca Allegany Casino (Salamanca)
• Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino (Buffalo)
• Seneca Gaming (Irving)
• Seneca Gaming (Oil Spring)
• Seneca Gaming (Salamanca)
• Seneca Niagara Casino (Niagara Falls)
• Tioga Downs (Nichols)
• Turning Stone Resort Casino (Verona)
• Vernon Downs (Vernon)
• Yellow Brick Road Casino (Chittenango)

Should You Consider New York for Live Blackjack?

The obvious problem with New York blackjack is that the live version is confined to upstate Native American casinos.

Of course, this isn’t such a big problem if you already live in or around Upstate New York. However, it becomes a major hurdle when you reside in the southern part of the state.

The upstate area is not only much less-populated than NYC and the rest of the southern part, but it’s also declining in numbers. That said, live blackjack is inconveniently located for most gamblers.

Of course, you can visit a casino anywhere in the state and find electronic blackjack. But the latter just isn’t the same as sitting at a table with a dealer and other players.

Assuming you’ll be in New York anyways for a vacation, then you might consider playing a few hands of electronic blackjack.

But I certainly don’t recommend traveling several hours upstate just to find live tables. You should only visit the live blackjack establishments if you’re already going to be in the area.

Should You Play New York Online Blackjack?

New York doesn’t offer legal online blackjack. However, they’ve done nothing to explicitly ban the internet version either.

The NY state penal code briefly discusses illegal gambling devices. But online gaming and accompanying punishments aren’t specifically mentioned.

Therefore, you should be fine to play real money online blackjack at offshore casinos. You’ll have access to many gaming sites when in the Empire State.

You can also visit nearby New Jersey or Pennsylvania (borders other parts of southern NY) to play legal real money blackjack. Both states only require that you be physically located within their boundaries and 21 years old to play.

Conclusion

New York has been offering live blackjack at tribal casinos since 1993. Unfortunately, their 2013 gambling expansion didn’t include live table games for commercial casinos.

That said, you must visit one of the Native American establishments in Upstate NY to play the game live. You can also gamble on electronic blackjack pretty much anywhere within the state.

The latter isn’t a perfect replacement for the table-based version. But New York would need to work out yet another deal with tribes before allowing blackjack tables in racinos.

I don’t expect this to happen any time soon. Therefore, your New York blackjack options include live (tribal), electronic (commercial), and online (unregulated gaming sites).