New York Governor Kathy Hochul has unveiled her policy objectives for the state’s regulated gambling market in 2026, with a strong focus on consumer protection.
Governor Hochul’s objectives were laid out in her State of the State report for 2026 and focus on preventing underage gambling and increasing protection for people who are at risk of suffering gambling harm.
The report states that “as online sports betting becomes immensely popular, and new, more accessible online gambling platforms become more sophisticated, it is essential to ensure that young people are protected from the harmful effects of gamified sports betting”.
To achieve this, Governor Hochul will direct the New York Gaming Commission to explore effective ways to ensure young people are not illegally downloading betting apps, creating accounts, or using the accounts of others. This will include the potential use of biometric technology to safeguard accounts.
“These actions will protect young people from the harms of online betting, which include significant financial loss and addictive behavior,” says Governor Hochul.
She is also proposing comprehensive action to strengthen prevention, treatment, and harm reduction around problem gambling through evidence-based practices and supports, as well as implementing a data-driven approach to identify and address long-term trends.
This will include legislation to ensure treatment for addiction disorders are covered by health insurance, and the integration of gambling recovery services into 16 recovery community and outreach centres in New York.
Governor Hochul will also direct the Gaming Commission to issue guidance on ways to positively utilise new technological tools to assist with identifying and proactively helping those who may need assistance.
She will also seek to limit betting platforms’ ability to use AI-powered services to “exploit consumers’ gambling habits through personalised promotions and wagers that keep individuals gambling beyond their intended limit”.
The new consumer protection plan would also see the launch of a 10-year statewide study to assess gambling health trends, evaluate prevention outcomes, and guide future programming decisions.