Oh, that moment when someone hits you with a scathing question you can’t answer—so you stay silent and move on to the next. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is going viral for his hilarious reaction when he was asked if he’d ever placed a sports bet.
Mamdani, along with Governor Kathy Hochul and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were spotted outside Murphy’s Sports Bar in Astoria, Queens. The event combined a Buffalo Bills watch party with their joint campaign stop for Hochul. While chatting with reporters in front of the bar, AOC admitted she was more into baseball and basketball, but she’s starting to warm up to football. “If you rewind the clock, when I played Tim Walz in Madden, the Bills were my team!” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I am newer to football, but the Bills were my team. Just check the receipts.”
The trio then went inside and watched the Bills defeat the Baltimore Ravens, 36-10—a win that moved Buffalo to 6-1. When Spectrum News NY1’s Bernadette Hogan asked if they’d ever placed a sports bet, AOC and Hochul both answered no. Mamdani, meanwhile, gave the kind of reaction you have when there’s no good answer. He found himself in a classic “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” scenario: say yes, and face questions about what and how much he’s won or lost; say no, and people might not believe you. He chose to stay quiet and let AOC and Hochul do the talking.
Close call for Mamdani
Mamdani is well known as a passionate supporter of Arsenal F.C., the New York Knicks, and the New York Mets. He even appeared in a Sidetalk Sports clip with Knicks superfan Crashout Rennie celebrating after the Knicks clinched the 2026 NBA championship.
Technically, politicians like Mamdani can place sports bets as long as they follow state and federal laws. The U.S. Department of the Interior notes that federal law prohibits employees from gambling while on duty or on government-owned or leased property. It’s unclear whether Mamdani has ever placed a bet as a private citizen or wagered on his favorite team. Most recently, the Associated Press reported that the Senate passed a bipartisan resolution barring its members from using prediction markets like Kalshi and PolyMarket, prohibiting senators—who often have access to sensitive information—from betting on upcoming events.
Online sports betting has surged nationwide, with 27% of Americans—and 52% of men ages 18 to 49—reporting an active account with online sportsbooks like DraftKings, Caesars, FanDuel, or BetMGM, according to a recent Siena Research Institute (SRI) survey. As of May 2026, sports betting is legal in 39 states. In 2025, the U.S. sports betting industry generated a record $16.96 billion in commercial revenue, according to the American Gaming Association. Whether or not Mamdani has placed a sports bet, we could bet 2026 is his year in sports, since both his Knicks and Arsenal won a trophy this year.
Published: Nov 4, 2026 02:00 pm