During his latest “State of the City” address to residents, Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano reaffirmed his support for the proposal to upgrade the MGM Empire City casino into a full-service casino resort. In his speech, Spano stressed the importance of MGM landing one of potentially three Class III gaming licenses that the New York State Gaming Commission plans to award this year.
Due to its established presence with Empire City, MGM is considered by many analysts to be a shoo-in for a license. The same logic is also commonly applied to Resorts World, leaving the final license as the big question.
While Spano’s support for MGM’s bid is nothing new, his comments place new emphasis on the bidding process. Those comments could also help build support for MGM’s bid with other government officials who may play a bigger role in the licensing process.
Yonkers mayor stresses importance of casino bid
In his March 26 speech, Spano called MGM Empire City’s bid to become a Class III casino “potentially the most significant boost to our economy going forward.” He also claimed that whether Empire City receives one of the three licenses is “a make-or-break situation for Yonkers.”
Spano referred to development investments and new jobs that would follow the license. He then shared that he believes that without the license, “it’s very unlikely that Empire City will survive long term” and the city would lose its largest private employer.
A Class III license would allow Empire City to add poker, sports wagering, and table games to its existing slots and video poker offerings. MGM has also shared plans to add many amenities like new dining and a venue for non-gaming entertainment.
Spano’s support of MGM’s bid has been consistent, as he first shared his enthusiasm for the project in late 2023. While he will not play a formal role in the licensing process, he could bear some influence on those who do.
Local support critical for casino bids’ success
MGM is one of nearly a dozen bidders for the licenses that the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) intends to award by the end of 2025. It might have a leg up on the competition, however, due to its existing tenure in the downstate part of New York and the scoring system that the NYSGC will use to determine recipients of those licenses.
That scoring system awards points for speed to market and using local labor/vendors. MGM already has many of those relationships and much of the infrastructure for expansion in place.
Even with those advantages, the progression of MGM’s bid will rely on the support of government officials like the members of the New York legislature representing Yonkers. Spano’s influence might make them more amenable to MGM’s plans and give Yonkers the economic boost that Spano has discussed.
