Board Advances Three New York City Casino Applicants

The Gaming Facility Location Board, statutorily tasked with selecting up to three commercial casinos to generate revenue for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, public schools, and local governments, selected three projects for submission to the New York State Gaming Commission for licensure consideration. The board determined that awarding all three licenses best advances the state's long-term economic, fiscal, and community objectives. Accordingly, the board selected: Bally's Bronx Hard Rock Metropolitan Park Resorts World New York City, already offering slot machine type gaming (video lottery terminals) at Aqueduct Racetrack. The board applied and weighed the statutory criteria, which fall into four categories: Economic activity and business development factors at 70% Local impact siting factors at 10% Workforce enhancement factors at 10% Diversity framework factors at 10%. No single factor was determinative. If the other two casinos are launched, they're expected to add significant competition for the Resorts World Casino located at Aqueduct in Jamaica, N.Y. Under this plan, the Resorts World facility will expand to a full casino by as early as March 2026. Using conservative assumptions, the board's consultants project incremental annual gaming tax revenue of nearly $1 billion in 2036—totaling approximately $7 billion between 2027 and 2036—plus $1.5 billion in licensing fees. Additional state and local taxes—property, sales, hotel occupancy, and others—are projected to generate approximately $5.9 billion over 10 years. Problem gambling programs are projected to receive approximately $10.7 million annually. No alternative scenario produced comparable revenue or fiscal benefits. Each project proposes to deliver substantial community benefits, including infrastructure and transit improvements, local business partnerships, and significant commitments to community-based organizations. Applicants made ambitious commitments to workforce diversity, community investment, and local, unionized hiring. The board emphasizes the need for applicants to fully deliver on those commitments. The board had concerns about some commitments and has laid out those concerns, along with more information about its determinations, in a formal selection document. See how the board's evaluated applicants in its Selection Document. The Gaming Commissioners gave the following statement: "The Gaming Facility Location Board has performed a true public service. These five individuals volunteered hundreds of hours to review and digest thousands of pages of complex application material and ultimately made the best selections for the State of New York. We are all thankful for their dedication and service for what has been, up until now, a thankless task. We entered this process with a tabula rasa, and are concluding with three impressive projects that will transform communities, establish career opportunities for residents, and drive much-needed revenue to the MTA, public schools, and the city. "The Gaming Commission has already undertaken the background investigations of the applicants and is expeditiously applying its statutory license suitability criteria to ensure that these casinos are operated with utmost integrity and fiscal responsibility. A New York gaming license is a privilege—and this commission will ensure those entities fortunate enough to be selected for licensure meet New York's rigorous standards."