The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board unanimously voted on Monday 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 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.”
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.
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, 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.”
Barring a major shock, the 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.
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.
This is a developing story; check with amNY.com for further updates.
