Posted on: May 19, 2026, 09:37h.
Last updated on: May 19, 2026, 10:00h.
- A New York lawmaker is seeking to ban gambling on billboards
- The bill would also prohibit alcohol and tobacco billboards
- Alcohol abuse and gambling disorders are associated, researchers report
Gambling and sports betting billboards in New York might soon come down under a new legislative push by a state Democratic senator.
Motorists across the Northeast are often bombarded with gambling billboards upon crossing a state line or entering a major city where certain forms of betting are allowed. Faced with this deluge, at least one lawmaker in New York has had enough, arguing that a statewide crackdown on the unavoidable gambling advertising is warranted.
State Sen. Nathalia Fernandez (D-Bronx, Westchester) is sponsoring Senate Bill 10400. The measure seeks to amend New York’s General Business Law to prohibit the advertising of alcohol, tobacco, nicotine, gambling, and sports betting on billboards.
The statute would apply to any billboard or outdoor advertising display that’s visible from a public roadway, sidewalk, park, or other public place.
Fernandez defines gambling and sports betting to include casinos, parimutuel wagering, fantasy sports, lotteries, sweepstakes games, prediction markets, and any other activity that involves placing money in hopes of obtaining something of value.
Addiction Concerns
Fernandez chairs the New York Senate’s Alcoholism and Substance Use Disorders Committee. She also sits on the Joint Senate Task Force on Opioids, Addiction & Overdose Prevention.
Gambling addiction is often intertwined with other substance abuse, most commonly alcohol. A study published in the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism found that problematic gambling is more common among people with alcohol problems.
Problematic gambling frequently co-occurs with alcohol use disorders. The preponderance of the available data suggests that overlapping brain systems may leave people vulnerable to both disorders,” researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School’s Department of Psychiatry concluded.
Fernandez believes that by limiting the ability of alcohol and gambling companies to reach new consumers through outdoor advertising, such problems might lessen.
SB10400 has been directed to the Senate Consumer Protection Committee for initial review. The committee says it safeguards “New York’s 19.5 million consumers against unfair practices in the marketplace.”
Growing Industry
New York is among the richest gaming states in the country.
In 2025, gross gaming revenue, or the amount of money lost by gamblers, totaled more than $5.72 billion. The losses stem from the state’s four casinos, seven racinos, two video lottery casinos, and online and retail sports betting. The revenue does not include money lost to the New York Lottery, charitable gaming, or parimutuel wagering.
New York’s commercial gaming revenue ranked fourth in the nation behind only Nevada ($15.79 billion), Pennsylvania ($7.7 billion), and New Jersey ($6.98 billion).
New York’s gaming industry is set for growth in the coming years after the state granted three downstate casino licenses last December. A number of multi-billion-dollar casino resort developments are underway in Queens and the Bronx.
Resorts World New York City and Hard Rock Metropolitan Park, both in Queens, and Bally’s Bronx, are expected to capture some of the casino money that’s currently flowing into New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania.
