New York City is on the verge of seeing one of the biggest economic development opportunities in decades. With three downstate casino licenses up for grabs, the decisions made in the coming months could shape the future of union career creation, long-term growth, and regional revitalization for years to come.
Ever since legislation was enacted in 2022 to bring three new casinos to the downstate area, the goal for the more than 140,000 New Yorkers represented by our unions has been straight-forward: ensuring the approval of projects that will deliver thousands of high-paying union construction jobs and thousands more permanent casino and hospitality careers that lift up our overall regional economy.
That’s why we have stood arm-in-arm with the State Legislature as they have strived to create a highly competitive process with as many quality proposals as possible, to ensure the decision is about which proposals offer the greatest benefit for the city, the region, and the state.
To that end, New York has taken important steps. An open RFP process was established, with detailed guidelines for how licensing decisions will be made. A separate Gaming Facility Location Board was created to oversee the selection process. Most critically, the RFP states clearly: “Because this is a competitive process, the Board will review Applications simultaneously…”
That’s not just procedural language, it reflects a principle. A level playing field, with all proposals evaluated side-by-side, is the best way to guarantee we select projects that will serve as true economic engines and middle class career creators for hardworking New Yorkers.
In the next few weeks, members of the legislature will once again have the opportunity to reaffirm their commitment to a highly competitive process by voting to approve permitted use legislation. Meanwhile, the New York City Council will also consider land use applications that are necessary to enable consideration of other projects.
Passing permitted use legislation is not about picking winners and losers. It’s about ensuring every viable proposal can make its full case and compete on equal footing. That’s how the system was designed, and that’s how we get the best outcome for New York.
New York City is on the cusp of unlocking transformational economic opportunity with the development of three new casinos. This moment has been years in the making, promising billions of dollars in new revenue to the state and tens of thousands of good-paying union careers. The men and women of the Building & Construction Trades Council of Greater New York and the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council are excited for the new opportunities coming to the region through these critical developments.
Now is the time for members of the State Legislature and City Council to ignore the noise, pass the bills needed to ensure more high-quality casino applications, and let the competition proceed as it was designed to. Let’s not allow narrow interests or procedural gamesmanship to undercut the intent of this process. Let’s let the best ideas compete—and let working New Yorkers win.
Gary LaBarbera is president of the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York; Rich Maroko is president of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council.
