Queens get the jackpot?: Casinos in Queens and Bronx approved
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Three casinos were approved for Queens and the Bronx, bringing an end to a closely watched state approval process. Renderings via Resorts World, Metropolitan Park and Bally’s
By Ryan Schwach
Three casino bidders, including two in Queens, were awarded a coveted casino license by the state on Monday in a move that has the potential to reshape the World’s Borough’s cultural and economic landscape.
The State Gaming Commission lended its long-awaited approval for three downstate casino licenses on Monday, the culmination of a three-year process that included hundreds of millions in lobbying and community engagement from the bidders, dozens of hearings and several community protests.
The widely expected ruling from the commission awarded three casino licenses to two projects in Queens – Metropolitan Park and Resorts World – and Bally’s casino plan for the Bronx. The announcement signals the end of one of the most closely watched state approval processes in recent memory.
In approving the projects, $13.5 billion worth of casino development will come to Queens, with the $4 billion Bally’s plan coming at the foot of the Whitestone Bridge in the Bronx.
The committee also voted to approve monitors to oversee the construction of each individual proposal in order to hold them to their grandiose community promises.
Metropolitan Park, the joint venture from Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock, will be built in what is now Citi Field’s parking lot. Resorts World in Southeast Queens will expand its “racino” by early next year, and Bally’s will construct its $4 billion casino adjacent to the Bronx golf course once owned by President Donald Trump.
Metropolitan Park, which faced some local pushback, is an $8 billion project centered around the Hard Rock casino, which would feature 5,000 slot machines, 375 table games, and 30 poker tables.
The project includes an entertainment venue, 25 acres of new public open space, and over $1 billion community benefits that promise a “Taste of Queens” food hall, as well as a complete overhaul of the adjacent 7 train station.
Resorts World’s $5.5 billion plan would expand the company’s current facilities in Southeast Queens, and will become the largest gaming facility in the country.
The project includes the introduction of 6,000 more slot machines and 800 table games to the gaming establishment. Resort's World will also construct a new hotel, an entertainment venue, 12 acres of green space, and the Resorts World Innovation Campus, which would feature a sports and media complex shaped by Queens native and NBA legend Kenny “The Jet” Smith.
Resorts World also offered the highest tax rate of any bid – $18 billion in total tax payments in the first decade of operation - and upped the ante by pledging an additional $100 million to the state for a licensing fee.
Bally’s $4 billion bid will be the largest private development in the history of the Bronx, and will
include a massive casino. accompanying hotel, event center, a golf course, nightclub, spa, and several options for food and retail.
The project’s $625 million community benefit package includes $100 million in improvements to adjacent Ferry Point Park and $75 million in improvements to traffic and transit.
Monday’s decision from the State Gaming Commission heralds the end of a nearly three-year process to dole out the three available casino licenses in downstate New York. The process began with eight applications that included bids from the likes of Jay-Z, and others that had the hopes of opening casinos in Midtown Manhattan, Coney Island and Yonkers.
The State Gaming Commission awarded casino licenses to projects in Queens and the Bronx on Monday. Screenshot via the State Gaming Commission
But in the past year, following financial questions and community pushback, only Queens’ two developments and Bally’s survived.
All three winning bids made it unscathed through land use approvals at the community board level, and through the community advisory committees created by the state to give the projects a local stamp of approval.
Supporters of the bids believe the projects will bring unprecedented economic development to Queens, reshaping it as a new tourism destination.
“Jackpot,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who was strongly in favor of both proposals. “Today’s decision by the New York State Gaming Commission is an undeniable affirmation that, in Metropolitan Park and Resorts World, Queens is the undisputed economic and cultural future of New York City.”
“This vote is much more than a technicality at the tail end of a bureaucratic process,” the BP added. “It represents the dawn of a more financially secure future for tens of thousands of union workers and their families; the boosting of bottom lines for area street vendors and other small businesses; and the proof that tourists and locals alike will no longer need to leave Queens to enjoy elite entertainment.”
The seven-person state board unanimously approved the licenses for all three-projects, doing so without any qualms or complaints.
“I'm looking forward to the creation of hundreds, if not thousands, of good union jobs in Queens and in the Bronx,” said chairperson Brian O’Dwyer.
O’Dwyer addressed the three newly minted casino properties and said they have a great responsibility in fulfilling their construction plans and community promises.
“You all have a difficult charge ahead, an important charge ahead of you, along with great responsibility,” O’Dwyer said.
But even if they appreciate their responsibility, the casinos will have watchdogs ensuring they live up to their plans.
The board on Monday approved plans to appoint independent monitors for each individual project to provide oversight.
The monitors will report quarterly on how the casino projects are complying with the “wonderful promises,” the board chair said, adding the commission will likely also consider an engineering and environmental consultant to represent the board to “ensure that each project is progressing appropriately.”
“You can be assured that this commission takes our responsibility in keeping your feet to the fire,” O’Dwyer said, “We will hear from you regularly.”
The Queens bidders on Monday celebrated the approval, a massive win that will likely come with billions of dollars in revenue.
“Since the day I bought the team, the community and Mets fans have made it clear to me that we can and should do better with the area around the ballpark,” said Cohen.
“Now, we are going to be able to deliver the sports and entertainment district that our fans have been asking for,” he added.
Metropolitan Park will be one half of the overhaul of Willets Point around Citi Field, where the city is effectively constructing an entirely new Queens neighborhood.
Cohen’s project faced some community pushback, mainly from young Flushing and Corona residents who felt the state was handing the Mets owner a blank check without assurances that the surrounding immigrant-heavy neighborhoods would be protected.
They continued to push back and protest up until the vote on Monday, briefly disrupting the commission’s meeting in upper Manhattan with chants of “shame on you.”
Ultimately, the community was widely behind the bid, which received near unanimous support from local community boards and business leaders.
“Today’s decision is a huge step toward unlocking the full potential of our community for workers, families, and entrepreneurs alike,” said Queens Chamber of Commerce President Tom Grech. “The Queens Chamber of Commerce has been proud to support Metropolitan Park since the beginning, and we stand ready to help in delivering on the greatest economic impact our community has ever seen.”
Resorts World, which saw little community pushback, will have part of its new casino up and running by the end of March 2026.
Community pushback against Metropolitan Park continued up until the final approval was given on Monday. Eagle file photo by Ryan Schwach
“Resorts World New York City thanks the New York State Gaming Commission for today’s final approval,” said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, Resorts World’s parent company. "We look forward to opening within months as New York City’s first full commercial casino."
When the Gaming Facility Location Board gave the projects their penultimate approval earlier this month, they said they weren't worried about the three projects, which are within 20 miles of each other, cannibalizing business from each other.
“We ask our consultants to be very, very conservative,” Location Board Chair Vicki Been said. “Even with that very, very conservative look, they believe that the New York market is strong enough, plenty strong, to give the three casino licenses.”
With the approval of the projects, a person could feasibly travel from Resorts World to Bally’s in about 45 minutes by car, hitting Metropolitan Park along the way.
