Football season is back.
For millions of Americans, that means Sunday afternoons spent with family and friends, hometown loyalties, fantasy leagues, rivalries, and the familiar anticipation of another NFL season.
Increasingly, however, football season means something else: betting season.
A new report from New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli shows how dramatically mobile sports gambling has transformed New York since its launch in January 2022. Sports betting is now the state’s second-largest source of gaming revenue, trailing only the lottery. In State Fiscal Year 2026 alone, New York collected approximately $1.3 billion in taxes on mobile sports wagering revenue.
Since mobile wagering began, New Yorkers have placed more than $91 billion in wagers. The industry generated $8.3 billion in gross gaming revenue over that period.
Those are staggering numbers.
With football season underway, they are likely to climb. The Comptroller notes that wagering typically rises during major sporting events, including the Super Bowl. Football is already one of five sports that account for more than 90 percent of New York’s mobile sports wagers.
The temptation is to look at the tax revenue and call this a victory for New York.
But the government should ask a different question: What is the human cost of generating that revenue?
Unlike many taxes, gambling revenue depends on citizens voluntarily risking their own money—and, collectively, losing enough of it to generate profits for sportsbooks and tax receipts for Albany.
The state itself acknowledges the danger.
DiNapoli’s report notes that calls to New York’s problem-gambling hotline increased by 8.5 percent between 2020 and 2025. He specifically warned that problem gambling, particularly among young people, is a growing concern.
New York has doubled funding for problem-gambling services, from $6 million to $12 million. That is welcome, but it also underscores an uncomfortable reality: the state collected $1.3 billion from mobile sports betting last year while dedicating only a small fraction of that amount to addressing gambling-related harm.
Sports themselves are not the problem. Neither is enjoying a Bills game, following the Giants or Jets, nor arguing over who should start at quarterback.
The concern is how deeply gambling is becoming embedded in sports culture.
Odds appear during broadcasts. Sportsbook ads surround games. Smartphones let someone place another wager before the next snap. What once required a trip to a casino or bookmaker can now happen from the couch in seconds.
That convenience is exactly why families should pay attention.
The government has a responsibility to consider more than whether an activity generates revenue. Families, communities, and citizens’ well-being matter too.
So, enjoy football season.
Cheer loudly. Wear the jersey. Invite friends over. Teach your kids the game.
But as another season begins, New Yorkers should also recognize that Albany has a vested financial interest in turning fans into gamblers.
That may be a winning proposition for the state treasury.
Whether it is a winning proposition for New York families is a separate question.
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