CEO Rob Goldstein reiterated Las Vegas Sands’s desire to obtain a coveted license for a casino in New York City during an earnings call on Wednesday.
“New York has been on our radar for a long time. We continue to be in the hunt there. I don’t want to get into specific boroughs, locations. I think that’s proprietary. But we remain interested. I think it’s a huge market for us. We’ve been very clear about that in the past. The process has quite a long way to go.”
Sands has been active in the NYC casino marketplace.
New York Mets owner Steve Cohen engaged in exploratory talks with Sands about the possibility of a casino next to Citi Field.
In late March, the New York Times reported that Goldstein met with NYC Mayor Eric Adams’s chief of staff, Frank Carone. Adams said he’d like for two of the three downstate casino licenses to end up in New York City.
Goldstein has expressed a willingness to pay a significant amount in licensing fees for the right to build new construction in The Big Apple. The minimum licensing fee for a downstate casino will be $500 million, as per the language of the budget bill that Gov. Kathy Hochul signed into law.
Read More: Challenges Aplenty: Where Could Third Downstate New York Casino License Go?
Others in the New York casino license race
Other large casino corporations like Hard Rock, Wynn and Bally’s have also been aggressive in displaying their interest.
Video lottery terminals Resorts World NYC (Queens) and MGM Empire City (Yonkers) are the perceived favorites to secure a license, largely due to speed to market.
Any entity would have to find a location that passes through the siting and zoning process. Local input would also be necessary.