Casino plans for Mets ballpark and golf course Trump once ran among 3 awarded NYC gambling licenses
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Mets’ ballpark in Queens. A Bronx golf course once operated by President Donald Trump ’s company. A slot parlor on a horse racing track near John F. Kennedy International Airport.
The three disparate sites, located far from the tourist hub of Manhattan, will become the future homes of New York City’s first Las Vegas-style resort casinos.
The state Gaming Commission on Monday awarded the three projects licenses to operate in the lucrative metropolitan-area market during a meeting at a riverside park in upper Manhattan.
The panel approved the licenses with the condition that the companies appoint an outside monitor to ensure they’re complying with state law and meeting the many promises and local investments they made to communities.
Brian O’Dwyer, the commission’s chair, said the state looked forward to casino projects’ promises of jobs, infrastructure investments and gaming revenue realized.
A handful of protestors opposed to billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen’s casino plan stood up and shouted: “You picked a billionaire over New Yorkers! Shame on you!” as they walked out of the meeting.
Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has praised the projects, saying they could unlock billions for the state’s transit system and create jobs. Opponents complain that easy access to casinos will only increase gambling addiction.
The projects bested several other proposals that fell by the wayside during the high stakes competition.
Among them were three casinos proposed for Manhattan that were rejected by local boards, including a Caesars Palace in the heart of Times Square backed by rapper Jay-Z. A plan for a resort on Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk in Brooklyn was also defeated by local opposition, and MGM abruptly pulled out of the once-crowded sweepstakes, despite local support.
The state gaming commission was authorized to license up to three casinos in the New York City area after voters approved a referendum in 2013 opening the door to casino gambling statewide.
Four full casinos, all upstate, now offer table games. The state also runs nine gambling halls without live table games, many of them also miles away from Manhattan.
Monday’s decision, in some ways, was largely a formality. Millions of dollars in gambling revenues are already factored into the state budget.
A state panel charged with vetting the proposals for the commission also recommended awarding a license to all three remaining proposals earlier this month.
The Gaming Facility Location Board, in its written decision, argued that the region’s dense and relatively affluent population, combined with high tourism, would be able to support all three plans, despite their relative proximity to each other.
The panel said its consultants conservatively estimated the casinos would generate a combined $7 billion in gambling tax revenues from 2027 to 2036, plus $1.5 billion in licensing fees and nearly $6 billion in state and local taxes.
Monday’s decision also means Trump likely stands to claim a substantial prize. When Bally’s purchased operating rights for the city-owned Ferry Point golf course from the Trump Organization in 2023, it agreed to pony up an additional $115 million if it won a casino license.
The Trump Organization hasn’t commented on the expected windfall.
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Follow Philip Marcelo at https://x.com/philmarcelo