In the three years since New York legalized mobile sports wagering, nearly $58 billion in bets have been placed in the state, according to the state Gaming Commission.

New York operators now bring in the most sports betting revenue of those in any state by a wide margin, according to the American Gaming Association, and state budget officials expect the industry to keep growing. (Other large states like Texas and California have declined to legalize mobile sports betting.)

Sports betting makes up nearly one-fifth of the state’s total gambling revenue; the rest comes from casinos, horse racing, and the lottery. (New York’s lottery, the biggest in the country, brought in $8.2 billion in sales during the 2023-2024 fiscal year; mobile sports betting brought in 1.7 billion in revenue.)

Industry proponents claim it has been a boon for the state’s public schools — which receive most of the gambling industry’s tax revenue — although education experts say that funding levels for education aren’t directly tied to the amount of sports betting revenue coming in.

Meanwhile, the convenience of mobile betting may exacerbate addictive gambling behaviors and a growing body of research has found that legalization may be contributing to rising consumer debt and bankruptcies.

New York’s future depends on “the ability of every family to afford the essentials of life,” Governor Kathy Hochul proclaimed in her State of the State speech Tuesday.

The governor unveiled her agenda at a moment when she faces low approval ratings and likely challengers ahead of the 2026 statewide election. Polls show that cost of living is a top issue for New York voters and that negative perceptions of the economy hurt Democrats in the presidential election last fall.

If all you heard was her State of the State address, Kathy Hochul would sound like a governor ready to make bold moves on climate.

“We need look no further than the deadly fires in Los Angeles for a reminder of how fragile our world is and what the future will hold if we sacrifice mother nature on the altar of profit,” she said. “We are truly the first generation to experience the effects of climate change and we are the last generation who can do anything about it.”

It was a departure from last year, when she barely mentioned climate at all. She promised on Tuesday to back up the talk with “an historic $1 billion investment to further the transition to a zero emission economy.”

In her annual State of the State address Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul proposed for the third time altering New York’s 2019 criminal justice reforms.

This year, the changes revolve around discovery, a process in criminal trials that requires prosecutors to share evidence with the defense. Her proposals so far are vague, and the legal mechanics at play are complex.

New York state’s 2.7 million students may soon have access to free school breakfast and lunch if a proposal by Governor Kathy Hochul makes it through this session’s budget negotiations.

“It pains me as a mom to think of little kids’ stomachs growling while they’re in school while they’re supposed to be learning,” Hochul said. “In the wealthiest country in the world, this can no longer be tolerated.”

Hochul estimated that free breakfast and lunch could save families as much as $1,600 per child per year. For the 2025-26 school year, the program is expected to cost $340 million, according to the governor’s office

Abortion rights were a major focus of New York Democrats’ 2024 campaigns. But in the wake of victories by President-elect Donald Trump and other Republicans, Hochul focused Tuesday’s speech on pocket book issues — and did not mention reproductive rights.

In the 140-page briefing document accompanying her State of the State address, however, Hochul did lay out several new abortion policies. Those include expanding funding for abortion providers’ capital investments and a new “flexible” funding stream to allow providers to better adapt to the “possible impact of the incoming federal administration.” She also is proposing codifying abortion as “protected emergency medical care” under New York law.

When it comes to housing, Governor Kathy Hochul has been banging on the same drum for years: New York isn’t building enough. In public appearances and interviews, she has repeatedly emphasized that New York’s housing shortage is driving up costs and pushing people out of the state.

Her State of the State speech Tuesday continued this theme. “We need to build, and build, and build some more,” she said, to a smattering of applause from the crowd of legislators and politicos gathered for her speech in Albany.

Hochul has made strides toward this goal within New York City. But building housing in the rest of the state has proved an elusive goal.