It’s been a roller coaster of a week for one prospective New York casino.
As the weekend nears, the coaster’s cars return to the station without Gov. Kathy Hochul’s support.
The Democratic governor cleared the air yesterday after rumors surfaced earlier in the week about her introducing favorable legislation for a downstate casino license bid from New York Mets owner Steve Cohen.
“There are people, shady people, who will try to manipulate the [casino bidding] process to their benefit and be willing to put out lies,” Hochul told reporters.
“I have had no intention of putting this in my executive budget.”
Keeping a level playing field with NY casino bids
New York officials announced in 2022 that it would expand its casino industry by issuing three licenses to downstate casino proposals. The process has gone slower than anticipated, and the state continues to weigh its options before making its selections.
Until recently, Cohen’s plan, Metropolitan Park, looked to have run out of gas. The Metropolitan Park proposal requires the space in question to have a parkland designation from the state, which it does not.
Metropolitan Park sought to transform the asphalt surrounding Citi Field into 20 acres of public park space with bars, restaurants, entertainment and a Hard Rock casino. With a license, Hard Rock International would also be in the running for an iGaming license when NY online casinos become legal.
Earlier this week, the New York Post reported that Hochul planned to introduce legislation in the 2025 budget to ease city parkland requirements. That legislation could bring the Met Park bid back to relevancy.
Sen. Joseph Addabbo expressed concerns: “For the governor to get involved and favor one bidder over other bidders sets a dangerous precedent.”
But Hochul quickly quelled any accusations of playing favorites despite having watched Mets games with Cohen from his suite and despite Cohen having donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to Hochul and the New York State Democratic Committee since 2021.
In addition to Hochul denying supporting Cohen, a spokesperson from her office responded:
“Permitted use legislation doesn’t prejudge the gaming approval process in any way nor does it guarantee the project will move forward.”
Metropolitan Park could use top-level support
Cohen’s proposal included an $8 billion investment that would create over 10,000 jobs and have a $130 billion economic impact over the next 30 years. Locals have echoed their support for the new project, including a rally led by Coalition for Queens Advancement this past May.
However, Sen. Jessica Ramos opposed the development of a casino. Cohen and his team pleaded their case, including showing community support. Ramos ultimately held her ground, saying that Queens was desperate for green space and recreation for the whole family without “settling” for a casino sharing that space.
That decision effectively killed the Met Park vision adjacent to Citi Field, requiring Cohen to find a new way to make his vision come to life. However, Cohen continued to march forward, working with state officials and gaining their support for the project.
That said, Hochul’s support would reign supreme. While her office says her actions do not affect future licensing decisions, common sense dictates a gubernatorial vote of confidence would carry significant weight in said decisions.
Cohen said his team remained committed to the project, even after Ramos opposed it.
But even if Hochul does echo her support and introduce legislature, the state legislature would likely reject the bill, deferring to Ramos’s objections and her local expertise.
Downstate NY casino decisions coming in 2025
As we hurry up and wait for the New York State Gaming Commission to award its three downstate casino licenses, the Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) set a new application deadline of June 27, 2025.
The date was set in July as an extension of the previous deadline, which was in August.
Sen. Addabbo has also added pressure to the decisionmakers. In September, Addabbo called the situation “embarrassing” and called into question the integrity of the process.
He said that the more time passes without a decision, the higher the chances for corruption to play a role. As a result, he told PlayNY that he intends to introduce a bill during the upcoming legislative session in January to establish a hard deadline for the licensing process.
So, 2025 may or may not bring us the licensees. But if it doesn’t, we’ll at least have an idea of when we will know.