The race to bring as many as three casinos to the New York City area begins in earnest after eight teams officially entered the competition Friday for a lucrative state license following years of campaigning.
Projects backed by major names in gaming, real estate and hospitality submitted their applications — and the accompanying $1 million fees — to the state Gaming Facility Location Board by the Friday afternoon deadline.
The applicants include three new sites in Midtown Manhattan, one each in Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, and two existing “racinos” in Queens and Yonkers. The latter pair — Resorts World and Empire City — are considered frontrunners as they are already primed to convert to full-service casinos.
But the Board will only review applications that have been approved by a Community Advisory Committee, or CAC, consisting of six members or appointees from the relevant local offices: Governor, Mayor, State Senator, State Assemblymember, Borough President and City Councilmember. The CACs will vote on their respective projects by Sept. 30.
The state announced in January 2023 it would offer up to three downstate casino licenses at $500 million a pop. Application teams have been scrambling to outdo each other ever since, with promises of millions of dollars in investment, thousands of affordable housing units and union jobs. They’ve mounted countless campaigns to generate goodwill in skeptical communities. Three contenders dropped their bid prior to Friday’s deadline.
Each proposal has faced local pushback to varying degrees, with concerns ranging from the impact on infrastructure and public safety to potential adverse impacts. But some have also attracted strong coalitions of support, including elected officials, influential unions and even rap stars.
The Board is expected to make its decision by Dec. 1 and issue licenses by Dec. 31.
The News breaks down the eight contenders below.
Who: Silverstein Properties, Metro Loft Developers, Rush Street Gaming, Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment
Where: 514 11th Ave., Hell’s Kitchen, Manhattan
Silverstein, a real estate firm known for redeveloping the World Trade Center area post-9/11, formally entered the race in June 2023 with The Avenir. The $7 billion proposal would see a massive 45-story tower go up on Silverstein-owned a site at 41st St. and 11th Ave., a block north of the Javits Center. The Avenir would include a casino, a 1,000-room Hyatt hotel, a food hall, public art gallery and more. The developers also threw in an eleventh hour sweetener on Thursday with a promise to develop over 2,000 apartments, including some 500 affordable units, through office-to-residential conversions on the West Side if they secure a license.
Who: Bally’s
Where: Ferry Point Park, Throggs Neck, Bronx
The $4 billion pitch to build a 500,000-square foot gaming complex and a 500-room hotel in Ferry Point Park recently cleared a key municipal hurdle, but still faces others. The city-owned golf course Bally’s operates on the site, plus the parking lot and clubhouse, would all have to be cleared to make way for the development, which would include new golf facilities and green space. Bally’s took over what was previously Trump Links in 2023.
Image by Motiv
A ground-level view of the planned hotel entrance at Shubert Alley of Caesars Palace in Times Square. (Image by Motiv)
Who: Caesars Entertainment, SL Green, Roc Nation
Where: 1515 Broadway, Times Square, Manhattan
The bid to bring a casino to Times Square has the backing of Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a number of labor unions, and just this week got the blessing of Rev. Al Sharpton — but still faces local pushback, particularly from the theater industry. The $4 billion proposal would see a Midtown office tower converted into an entertainment hub with a casino, nightclubs, restaurants and a five-star hotel with nearly 1,000 rooms. The development team has dangled sweeteners ranging from a promised $5 million donation to a local LGBTQ+ clinic to offering low-cost investment opportunities.
Who: Saratoga Casino Holdings, Chickasaw Nation, Thor Equities
Where: Coney Island, Brooklyn
The team behind The Coney is hoping to build on the area’s storied history as an entertainment area to win approval of its $3.4 billion plan, first announced in November 2022. The 1.4-million-square-foot complex along the iconic Boardwalk would include a casino, restaurants, a 500-room hotel, a 2,400-seat theater, 92,000 square feet of convention space and over an acre of public open space. But the developers’ pitch to transform Coney Island into a year-round destination has done little to assuage resistance from locals.
Who: MGM Resorts International
Where: 810 Yonkers Ave, Yonkers, NY
The only downstate proposal located outside the five boroughs is one of two established “racinos” tipped as favorites to secure a license. Opened in 2006, the Yonkers complex has the largest gaming floor of any MGM destination and would include a $2.3 billion renovation with new restaurants and a 5,000-seat entertainment space, all of which it recently secured zoning approval for.
Who: Soloviev Group, Mohegan
Where: 686 First Ave., Murray Hill, Manhattan
A version of the $11.1 billion, 6.3-acre proposal — situated between 38th and 41st Streets east of First Ave. — was first introduced in February 2023 and has undergone several revisions since. Beyond a casino, it now includes several high-rise towers with 1,049 apartments, about half of which would be affordable, plus 1,251 hotel rooms, 5 acres of park space, a food market, a daycare and a “Museum of Freedom and Democracy.” The scheme has drawn criticism, however, because of its proximity to the United Nations Secretariat Building a stone’s throw to the north.
Who: Steve Cohen, Hard Rock
Where: 126th St., Willets Point, Queens
The pet project of billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen is one of the buzziest contenders — not least because he spent more on lobbying than any other city client last year. The $8 billion plan would transform 50 acres of parking around Citi Field into a massive resort and gaming complex with some 25 acres of public park space, a 2,300-room hotel, a live music venue and food market, plus develop 450 units of affordable housing in Corona. Unlike a number of its competitors, Metropolitan Park has a significant amount of local backing and has already passed major city and state hurdles. The surrounding area is in the midst of a transformation due to the redevelopment of Willets Point and construction of the city’s first-ever soccer stadium.
Courtesy Resorts World
Resorts World casino rendering. (Courtesy Resorts World)
Who: Genting Group
Where: 110-00 Rockaway Blvd., Jamaica, Queens
Resorts World at the Aqueduct Racetrack is already one of two early frontrunners thanks to its existing machine-based operations and lack of community opposition. The Southeast Queens hub opened in 2011 and would expand as part of its $5.5 billion proposal to add table games such as blackjack and poker, over 1,000 new hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat performance venue and more than 10 acres of public greenspace. The development team has also announced plans to build up to 50,000 new units of workforce housing across the city over 20 years if selected.
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