Appointment of Final Gaming Facility Location Board Members Allows Licensing Process to Advance

Written By Dan Holmes on January 30, 2025
a group of people all slap hands in the middle of a meeting room

The process of issuing casino gaming licenses for downstate New York is set to commence, now that the agency responsible for issuing them has its full complement of members. The New York State Gaming Commission has recruited the final members of the Gaming Facility Location Board, a step that was needed before any decisions on potential candidates for the downstate casinos can be made.

The full Gaming Facility Location Board is in place now that Marion Phillips III and Greg Reimers have been appointed. the five-person panel also includes Chairwoman Vicki Been, Carlos Naudon, and Stuart Rabinowitz.

Progress on possible licenses for casinos downstate has been deliberate and frustrating for many observers of gaming in New York. The nation’s largest city notably does not have a legal casino, and the anticipation 0ver possible locations has built in recent months and years.

Advancement on retail licenses necessary for iGaming effort

Governor Kathy Hochul has been cautious when discussing online casinos, preferring to urge her state to move forward on approving licensure for retail casinos in New York city and elsewhere in downstate New York. The NY State Gaming Commission is charged with guiding the process. As of yet, there’s no indication as to where or if the regulatory agency will issue licenses in 2025.

The topic of iGaming or online casino apps is at the heart of a bill sponsored by Senator Joseph Addabbo, the Chair of the New York State Senate Racing, Gaming, and Wagering Committee. Addabbo has been a leading advocate for responsible expansion of gaming in New York. However, recently Addabbo indicated he plans to present a bill that would ban sweepstakes casino gaming apps. Those apps are often seen as existing in “gray areas” of the gaming in law in states that do not have legal online casinos.

This is the first public service for the two new members of the Gaming Facility Location Board. Phillips was formerly the Sr. Vice-President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the U.S. News & World Report. Reimers is s former finance executive who also served as JPMorgan Chase’s Managing Director and Market Manager.

Photo by fizkes/Shutterstock
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Written by
Dan Holmes

Dan Holmes is a freelance writer for PlayNY. An author of three books about sports, he previously worked for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball. Dan enjoys writing, running and lemon bars. He lives near Lake Michigan with his daughters and usually has an orange cream soda nearby.

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