All Three Downstate New York Casino Proposals Approved by Board

• The New York Gaming Facility Board selected all three proposed downstate casinos projects for licensure
• Bally’s Bronx, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park, and Resorts World New York City have been approved
• The New York State Gaming Commission has until Dec. 31 to officially award the casino licenses

---

The three remaining downstate casino proposals took a big step today towards receiving a New York casino license.

Bally’s Bronx, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at Willets Point, and Resorts World New York City in Queens have all been selected for licenses by the Gaming Facility Location Board for the three available downstate casino licenses.

The New York State Gaming Commission now has until Wednesday, Dec. 31 to award the licenses.

Licenses Will Be Awarded This Month

Resorts World, Bally’s Bronx, and Metropolitan Park remain as the three finalists for licenses. Resorts World is planning a $5.5 billion, 5.6 million-square-foot proposal for a casino in Queens; Bally’s Bronx proposed a $4 billion, 3 million-square-foot facility in the Bronx; and Metropolitan Park, a partnership between Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International, proposed an $ billion casino and open space project on 50-acres of an asphalt parking lot at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets.

The New York State Gaming Commission will now make the final decision on all three proposed casino projects.

“The Gaming Commission has already undertaken the background investigations of the applicants and is expeditiously applying its statutory license suitability criteria to ensure that these casinos are operated with utmost integrity and fiscal responsibility. A New York gaming license is a privilege – and this Commission will ensure those entities fortunate enough to be selected for licensure meet New York’s rigorous standards,” the New York State Gaming Commissioners noted in a released statement.

According to the Gaming Facility Location Board, the potential new downstate casinos are projected to support nearly $1 billion in annual gaming tax revenue in 2036 – totaling approximately $7 billion between 2027 and 2036 – plus $1.5 billion in licensing fees.

Additional state and local taxes, such as property, sales, hotel occupancy and others, are projected to generate approximately $5.9 billion to New York over the next decade.

“The Gaming Facility Location Board has performed a true public service. These five individuals volunteered hundreds of hours to review and digest thousands of pages of complex application material and ultimately made the best selections for the State of New York. We are all thankful for their dedication and service for what has been up until now a thankless task. We entered this process with a tabula rasa, and are concluding with three impressive projects that will transform communities, establish career opportunities for residents, and drive much-needed revenue to the MTA, public schools and the City,” the commission reported.

Construction on the new casinos will likely begin in 2026.

Whittled Down From Eight Original Applicants

The New York State Gaming Commission received eight applications for downstate casino licenses from 2023 through 2024. The original applicants were as follows:

• Bally’s Bronx
• Hard Rock Metropolitan Park
• Resorts World New York City
• MGM Empire City
• Caesars Palace Times Square
• Freedom Plaza
• The Avenir
• The Coney

MGM Empire City, which many believed to be a frontrunner for a casino license, unexpectedly withdrew its license bid in October.

The company announced it would no longer pursue its Empire City Casino renovation and expansion project, noting that since it submitted its application in June “the competitive and economic assumptions underpinning our application have shifted, altering our return expectations on the proposed $2.3 billion investment.”

MGM Resorts proposed to renovate and expand the Empire City Casino in Yonkers was the first project unanimously approved by the Community Advisory Council. MGM planned to add 183 live dealer games and a 5,000-seat venue for concerts and shows at the facility. MGM Resorts purchased the property in 2019 and had planned to begin construction and renovations within months if it was awarded a license. The facility currently offers horse racing, slots, and video gaming to the public.

With MGM Resorts withdrawal, only three license bids remain for a total of three potential casino licenses.