Casino operators wanting to develop expansive projects in the Big Apple are one crucial step closer to making it happen.
On Monday, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board approved the three bids before it – from Bally’s, Hard Rock, and Resorts World – ending a long and contentious process that started with eight proposals.
The projects still need to complete one final step. The New York State Gaming Commission meets later this month to vote on the proposals and issue casino licenses.
But, barring any unforeseen circumstance, the three New York casino projects should be green-lighted before the end of the year.
Bally’s promises $625M in community enhancements
One proposed property, Bally’s Bronx, is planned for the city’s northernmost borough, on 16 acres next to Bally’s Golf Links in Ferry Point along the East River. According to its website, the project will include:
- A total of 500,000 square feet of gaming space, housing 3,500 gaming machines and 250 table games (including poker)
- An array of dining and entertainment venues “to celebrate the cuisine, art, and music that the Bronx has always offered”
- An event center accommodating 2,000 plus additional meeting spaces
- Parking for approximately 4,600 vehicles
Bally’s also asserts that it will bring “$625 million in community benefit commitments,” including $100 million in park and waterfront enhancements, $75 million in transportation upgrades, and $10 million in public safety investment.
According to Forbes, the current US president will benefit from the project.
“There is also an ancillary winner from the Bally’s Bronx proposal: President Donald Trump. The casino site is located next to a golf course he previously owned. Now known as Bally Links, the company bought the lease from the Trump Organization in 2023 for $60 million. As part of the deal, the Trump Organization will receive a $115 million windfall once Bally’s is granted one of the licenses.”
Hard Rock complex expected to generate billions in revenue
The board also gave the green light to Metropolitan Park. It’s an ambitious $8.1 billion project from New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock that will place a casino and hotel on a 78-acre plot of land.
Around 25 acres will be converted into a park. The park will connect Citi Field and Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
The campaign, utilizing the slogan, “We Can Have It All,” includes plans for 5,000 gaming machines and more than 400 table games (including 30 poker tables), plus an 18,000-square-foot sportsbook.
Estimates have the casino generating nearly $4 billion in revenue in its third operating year.
Resorts World has set 6-month deadline for massive casino
The other proposal, Resorts World Casino New York City in the Jamaica neighborhood in Queens, will expand the existing casino at the Aqueduct Racetrack, the only casino currently operating within the Five Boroughs. It will become a 500,000-square-foot casino, boasting 6,000 gaming machines and 800 table games. It will also include a 7,000-seat entertainment venue and a 2,000-room hotel.
Per its website, the $5.5 billion project “is poised to become not only the premier integrated resort in the United States but also one of the best in the world. Table game and full-casino slot machine operations could launch within six months of receiving a Gaming Facility License. RWNYC stands out as the lone bid with the sheer size and readiness to drive new incremental revenue almost immediately, for the highest and best value to New York State.”
The expanded Resorts World could be open to New Yorkers by next summer.
