For the last three years, development teams have tried to sell their casino proposals to New Yorkers, touting the scores of jobs that would be created and, in some cases, transformative visions for long-vacant sites.
Much has changed since teams expressed initial interest in vying for a state casino license. Some developers have added housing to their plans or whipped up creative ways to ply the surrounding community, hoping such commitments will sweeten the pot.
Now, several gambling puns later, those teams are turning in their applications for one of three of the downstate casino licenses up for grabs.
From here, local committees will decide if these applications move forward — proposals must get at least two-thirds of the vote to continue competing. The state Gaming Facility Location Board will ultimately decide which of those applications receive the licenses.
At least eight teams are expected to submit applications by Friday’s 4 p.m. deadline. Existing racinos in Flushing and Yonkers may have an edge in the competition, but that remains to be seen. At the very least, they appear to face less opposition from local elected officials than some of their competitors.
Several bidders backed out of the competition over the last few months, including Related Companies and Wynn, which abandoned plans for a casino as part of the next phase of Hudson Yards. Instead, Related is moving forward with plans for housing, office and a hotel. Saks Fifth Avenue also ditched plans to convert the top three floors of its Midtown flagship into a casino, and Las Vegas Sands scrapped its proposal for the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.
Some proposals are still working on land use approvals, in addition to the state process. Many will need to win over skeptical elected officials and community groups. Here’s an overview of the remaining proposals and where they stand:
SL Green and Caesars Entertainment, Times Square
Briefly: The real estate investment trust wants to convert its 2 million-square-foot office building at 1515 Broadway into a $4 billion casino, 992-key hotel, restaurants and an entertainment venue run by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
Upping the ante: The team announced this week that it would allow investors with as little as $500 to acquire equity in the project, Crain’s reported.
Status: Elected officials who will appoint members to the Community Advisory Committees, which will decide if applications progress to the final round of the competition, include Sen. Liz Krueger, who has made clear that she does not support a casino in Manhattan. City Council member Erik Bottcher and Assembly member Tony Simone opposed Related’s Hudson Yards casino proposal. The development team held a rally in Times Square Thursday, in part to highlight support from unions, including 32BJ SEIU and Laborers’ International Union of North America.
Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International, Flushing
Briefly: Metropolitan Park would turn 50 acres worth of parking lots next to Citi Field into an $8 billion casino complex. The project would include a Hard Rock hotel and a 5,650-person live music venue, along with bars and restaurants. The plan also includes 25 aces of green space.
Upping the ante: The team reached a deal with Slate Property Group to build 450 units of affordable housing on a parking lot at 54-19 100th Street, a few miles away from the casino project. They also committed to include the Flushing Skypark, new bike and pedestrian paths that would connect Metropolitan Park, downtown Flushing and other neighborhoods cut off by Flushing Creek, as part of its plan. If Skypark doesn’t move forward, Cohen has pledged $100 million for upgrades to Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
Status: The project team initially struggled to get approval from the state legislature to change the use of the parking lot next to Citi Field. The lot was technically parkland, and the team needed lawmakers to approve park alienation legislation to move forward. Local Sen. Jessica Ramos refused to introduce the needed legislation and opposed the casino. However, Sen. John Liu ultimately sponsored the alienation legislation, saying he was won over by the Flushing Skypark plans. The legislature approved that bill last month. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has also been supportive.
Soloviev Group and Mohegan, Midtown East
Briefly: During a press conference on Thursday, held on the 27th floor of Soloviev’s headquarters at 9 West 57th Street, CEO Michael Hershman called the casino team the “underdogs” in the competition.
“No one believed we would have a chance,” he said of the initial reception to their proposal. He pointed to changes that the team has made to the plan, including axing a ferris wheel, after receiving community input.
The $11 billion plan for “Freedom Plaza” calls for a below-grade casino, two hotels and 1,049 housing units, of which 513 would be below market-rate, on a vacant site along the East River near the United Nations. The proposal also includes a Museum of Freedom and Democracy, and five acres of green space.
Upping the ante: The team says it will create a community reinvestment fund that will receive 2 percent of annual gaming profits and is expected to generate at least $200 million over the next two decades. The team announced in May that it would allow residents to take equity stakes in the project.
Status: The project is going through the state’s environmental review process. Krueger’s district also includes this site, and Assembly member Harvey Epstein has not been supportive.
Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings and the Chickasaw Nation, Coney Island
Briefly: “The Coney” would rise on a five-acre stretch of beachfront, between the Maimonides Park baseball stadium and Luna Park. In addition to the casino, the $3.4 billion development would feature a 500-key hotel, 20 restaurants and a 25,000-square-foot entertainment venue.
Upping the ante: The team has pledged to create a $200 million community trust fund for local improvements. It would also create a $15 million annual fund “dedicated directly to community mitigation efforts, enhancing local police, fire, and EMS services.”
Status: The City Council Committee on Zoning approved the team’s land use application this week, with some modifications, which would demap sections of some streets in the neighborhood to allow for a larger project. The application awaits a full City Council vote next week. Borough President Antonio Reynoso laid out a number of changes to the project that would need to be made to secure his approval as part of the Community Advisory Committee process, noting at the time that the $200 million community trust fund was “grossly inadequate relative to the benefits to the applicant.”
A spokesperson for the team said, “We look forward to reviewing and working through any proposed tweaks to the plan through our engagement with the Community Advisory Committee as part of the next step in this process.”
Bally’s, Ferry Point
Briefly: Bally’s $4 billion casino complex would be built on a portion of a city-owned golf course, Bally’s Golf Links, and would include a 500-room hotel and a 2,000-seat entertainment venue.
Upping the ante: The company is offering residents potential equity interest in the project (with investments starting at $250) and promised a minimum of $10 million a year for various community benefits, the Bronx Times reported.
Status: Over the objections of local Council member Kristy Marmorato, the City Council last month approved a last-minute “home rule message” to clear the way for the state legislature to pass park alienation legislation. Bally’s needed the state to pass parkland alienation legislation to allow part of the city-owned golf course to be used for its 3.1 million gaming complex. At the time, Marmarto accused the casino team of going around the local elected officials and the community, calling the plan a “bad proposal.” Bally’s still needs approval of zoning map changes and approval of the transfer to the city-owned site.
Bally’s acquired the golf course’s lease from the Trump Organization in 2023. If it lands one of the casino licenses, as part of that 2023 deal, it must pay Trump $115 million, according to the New York Times.
Genting, Jamaica
Briefly: Resorts World New York City wants to expand its current facility by adding 350,000 square feet of gaming space, 2,000 hotel rooms and a 7,000-seat entertainment center. The $5.5 billion redevelopment would bring 800 live card table games to the facility, which currently can only have slots and video betting. It would also include 10 acres of green space.
Upping the ante: Resorts World committed to investing $500 million over the next 20 years to build up to 50,000 units of workforce housing throughout the city. This was a separate deal, reached with Cirrus Workforce Housing, and wasn’t contingent on the casino license. Resorts World estimates that within five years of receiving the license, fees and revenue from the casino are expected to provide more than $1 billion to the MTA (a portion of table game revenue is earmarked for the MTA as part of the casino license agreements).
Status: As previously noted, the Queens Borough President has been supportive of a casino in his borough. Resorts World unveiled plans last year for a separate $5 billion investment (which would rely on receiving the casino license) to transform Aqueduct Racetrack into 3,000 housing units. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has previously backed the expansion of Resorts World and called for the redevelopment of the racetrack as part of her 2024 State of the City address.
MGM Resorts, Yonkers
Briefly: MGM is also seeking to turn its facility into a full-fledged casino, with its $2.3 billion Empire City Casino proposal. The plan includes a 5,000-seat entertainment venue and three new restaurants.
Upping the ante: Per a press release put out on Thursday, MGM has promised a “significant investments to support public infrastructure in the City of Yonkers, including improvements to roads, water lines and traffic technology.”
Status: Yonkers City Council approved a key zoning change creating a “Casino District,” for the project. Mayor Mike Spano praised the decision, saying “Yonkers is on its way to winning big in spurring transformative economic growth, job creation, entertainment and more,” according to the Westfair Business Journal.
Silverstein Properties, Rush Street Gaming and Greenwood Gaming & Entertainment, Manhattan’s West Side
Briefly: The Avenir is a $7 billion casino complex planned for a vacant site at 41st Street and 11th Avenue. The project would feature a 1,000-key Hyatt Hotel, as well as restaurants, bars and 150-seat entertainment venue.
Upping the ante: On the eve of turning in its application, Silverstein committed to funding office conversions into 2,000 housing units, though it didn’t specify what properties, only saying that it would partner with Metro Loft Developers and give preference to conversions on the West Side.
Status: The project is still making its way through the state’s environmental review process, which must be completed by Sept. 30. Elected officials who will appoint members to the Community Advisory Committees, including Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, and Assembly member Tony Simone have indicated that they do not support casinos in their districts. City Council member Erik Bottcher opposed the Hudson Yards casino.
The team is hoping to win over elected officials by showing that they would deliver key asks of the community, including creating permanent jobs and bringing more businesses to the area, Silverstein COO Dino Fusco said on Thursday. He said community members also want to see the “giant hole in the ground” at 41st Street put to use. After attempts to build housing and office space there, Fusco said the firm doesn’t see a feasible alternative plan for the site if it doesn’t receive a casino license.
“I wish there was,” he said. “If there was, we would’ve pursued it over the last 10 years that we owned the site.”
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