Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week he will include the legalization of mobile sports betting and retail cannabis in the state budget. Cuomo is scheduled to give his State of the State address Mon., Jan. 11. He is looking to raise new revenue in the spending plan this year amid a budget gap widened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The governor's plan for allowing gamblers to wager on the outcome of sporting events through smartphones and tablets will likely disappoint casinos because the proposal could cut them out of the action. "We want to do sports betting the way the state runs the lottery — where the states get the revenue," Cuomo said at a news conference. New York's four commercially operated casinos are allowed to take bets on sporting events and pay out winnings, but they cannot run mobile betting. Marijuana legalization has stalled for several years amid disagreements over the specifics of how a program would taxed and operated as well as how communities that have been impacted by harsh drug laws would benefit from the legislation. "I think that should have been passed years ago," Cuomo said. "I think too many people have been incarcerated and punished." Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.