The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board on Monday unanimously voted in favor of all three remaining casino bids, representing a major victory for the Bally’s casino proposal in the Bronx and the Metropolitan Park and Resorts World developments in Queens.
The Dec. 1 vote represents the second-to-last step in a years-long process to award three downstate gaming licenses to projects in the New York metropolitan area, with the Gaming Commission set to deliver a verdict by the end of the month.
Delivering the verdict at the CUNY Graduate Center Monday morning, board chair Vicki Been said the board had determined that advancing all three projects “best advances the state’s long-term economic, fiscal and community objectives.”
Spokespeople for Resorts World New York City, Metropolitan Park and Bally’s were all jubilant in reacting to Monday’s board vote.
“Resorts World New York City’s journey to this historic moment represents more than 15 years of work to generate jobs, revenue, and opportunities for our neighbors,” said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East. “Resorts World New York City’s $7.5 billion proposal is the only bid that can expand operations in just 90 days, generating billions in new revenue for mass transit and public education over the next four years.”
Karl Rickett, spokesperson for Metropolitan Park — the joint casino bid led by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International – said the Dec. 1 vote represented the project moving “one step closer to becoming a reality.”
“Following a fair, transparent and rigorous process, the Gaming Facility Location Board has validated the positive economic impact this project will have with billions of dollars in tax revenue, 23,000 union jobs, and over $1 billion in community benefits,” Rickett said. “We look forward to the Gaming Commission’s review.”
No regrets about awarding all three licenses
The three proposals were the last remaining bids in the race to obtain a downstate license, with Community Advisory Committees voting down three proposals in Manhattan and one in Brooklyn. MGM Empire City, an existing “racino” in Yonkers, later withdrew its application.
However, some doubts had remained whether the Gaming Facility Location Board would award all three licenses ahead of Monday’s vote or vote against certain proposals.
Been said the board considered the possibility that the three projects would “cannibalize” the market in New York City but added that the board engaged a team of consultants to undertake a “very, very conservative” analysis of the viability of each project.
“Even with that very, very conservative look, they believed that the New York market is plenty strong to give the three applicants licenses,” Been said.
Board vote interrupted by protests
A small number of protesters interrupted Monday’s board meeting shortly after Been announced the board’s unanimous decision, chanting “shame on you” at the five-member board. Among other issues, protesters said the casino developments would prey on local residents and target an “at-risk community.”
Jack Hu, who took part in Monday’s protest, said the Metropolitan Park casino would treat vulnerable local residents as “cash cows” and create problem gambling issues in the local community.
Been pushed back strongly against concerns that the casinos would fuel gambling addiction, stating that the board was “very concerned” about problem gambling in its assessment of each applicant.
She said the board engaged in “high-level discussion” with each applicant to explore how they would combat gambling addiction.
“We pressed them about exactly what they would do and we urge the Gaming commission to try to move New York in the direction… where there is more active intervention, not just making information available about resources for problem gamblers.”
Protesters also took aim at state Sen. John Liu, who represents a small portion of the proposed Metropolitan Park development site. Liu attracted criticism from Metropolitan Park opponents when he allowed the project to clear a significant legislative hurdle by introducing the necessary parkland alienation legislation in the State Senate. State Sen. Jessica Ramos, whose Senate District covers a much larger portion of the proposed development, had long refused to introduce the legislation.
In a statement issued after Monday’s vote, Liu said voters had weighed the benefits of legalized gambling against the cost when they voted in favor of expanding New York’s casino operations in a 2013 referendum.
“Ultimately, the decisions in the voter referendum back then through today’s meeting weighed costs versus benefits, specifically those of casinos and gambling versus mass transit, public schools, well-paying jobs, and parks and other infrastructure,” Liu said in a statement. “I appreciate the passion with which some advocates oppose Metropolitan Park, but the proposal recently won formal support from the Community Advisory Council unanimously, and also has long been supported by the borough president, state assembly members, city council members, and all nearby Community Boards.”
Gaming Commission verdict is ‘no rubber stamp’
Barring a major shock, the Gaming Commission is expected to follow the board’s recommendations and approve the three projects. However, Been said the recommendation does not represent a “rubber stamp” in any capacity and said the Commission would follow a thorough process before approving any of the developments.
“Having now spent many, many hours with the Gaming Commission team, they are an incredibly hard-working, dedicated, thorough and exacting team,” Been said.
The board has estimated that the three projects will generate an anticipated $7 billion in gaming tax revenue between 2027 and 2036 alongside an additional $5.9 billion in other tax revenue, including hotel and sales taxes. Each applicant will also pay $500 million in license fees if they are awarded a license, generating a further $1.5 billion in revenue for the state, Been said.
The majority of tax revenue generated from the three projects will be evenly split between the MTA and the State’s Department of Education.
Resorts World, which already operates slot machines at its South Ozone Park location, has announced that it will expand to include table games as early as March next year. Both Metropolitan Park and Bally’s are anticipated to come online by 2030.
Resorts World has outlined a $5.5 billion proposal to transform the existing racino into a sprawling 5.6 million square-foot development that the gaming company says will create thousands of jobs, generate expansive public amenities and deliver new, inclusive growth for southeast Queens. It has also pledged a further $2 billion in community benefits.
Metropolitan Park, meanwhile, aims to transform 50 acres of Citi Field parking lot into a sprawling casino complex featuring a 25-acre public park, new shops and restaurants, a Taste of Queens food hall and the full-scale redevelopment of the Mets-Willets Point subway station.
The development, a joint venture by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International, also pledged to create 23,000 union jobs, with a priority for local hires.
Metropolitan Park will also feature a 1,000-key hotel, approximately 39% of which will be suites, and a 5,600-seater entertainment venue.
The board touted Metropolitan Park’s projected capital investment of $5.3 billion in addition to a further $761 million in community investment. Metropolitan Park has stated that its total investment, including its license fee, will rise to just over $8 billion.
The Bally’s development, on the other hand, features a plan for an integrated casino complex in Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, including a 507-key hotel, a 2,000 seat event center and a golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus.
The proposed Bally’s casino would be partially situated on the golf course it purchased from the Trump Organization in 2023. If Bally’s is awarded a license, the company must pay a reported $115 million to the Trump Organization.
Been said the commitments that each applicant has made to its local community will be included in a binding license issued by the Commission later in the month.
Queens reacts
A number of elected officials and community advocates in Queens welcomed the board’s unanimous vote, with Queens Borough President Donovan Richards stating that Metropolitan Park and Resorts World represent the borough’s “unrivaled potential.”
“There is no safer bet in our city than Queens and its unparalleled promise,” Richards said in a statement issued shortly after the decision. “The most diverse county in the United States is quickly becoming its most economically innovative and transformative — cemented by today’s recommendation to connect tens of thousands of Queens families to good-paying union jobs and millions of residents and tourists alike to world-class entertainment.
“Since the very start of this casino licensing process, both Resorts World and Metropolitan Park have held winning hands, with each putting forth unrivaled community benefits packages to uplift our families and clear-eyed workforce development plans that will generate billions of dollars in wages and tax revenue.”
Tom Grech, president and CEO of the Queens Chamber of Commerce, meanwhile, described the decision as a “historic” moment for Queens.
“The Queens Chamber of Commerce is proud to support these landmark projects, which will fuel economic growth, uplift neighborhoods, and secure Queens’ place on the global stage,” Grech said in a statement.
Costa Constantinides, executive director of the Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens, heralded the board’s decision as a “big day for Queens,” stating that the Metropolitan Park and Resorts World developments would create thousands of jobs for the borough.
“It’s going to make real investments in the community,” Constantinides said after Monday’s vote. “In the long term, we’re excited to have neighbors like Hard Rock coming to this community and to have real entertainment. We don’t have to cross into Manhattan or to another borough.”
He also said the two projects would help uplift underserved communities by providing access to good-paying jobs and a “real opportunity for longevity.”
Constantinides similarly pushed back against concerns over problem gambling, stating that illicit and online gambling already preys on vulnerable residents. He said both casinos will have on-site units dedicated to combatting gambling addiction.
“Gambling is everywhere,” Constantinides said. “But having it in the light and having it regulated is something that’s really important to me.”
State Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo, who represents the district covering South Ozone Park, said the decision would secure “significant benefits” for New York City.
“This decision moves us closer to a final license approval by the Gaming Commission by the end of the year and closer to realizing the significant benefits for New York— over 10,000 union jobs, billions in revenue, infrastructure improvements, funding for the MTA and support for problem-gambling programs,” Addabbo said in a statement.
