Queens Borough President Donovan Richards has what can be called a good problem on his hands.<\/p>\n
There is a significant possibility that Queens could be the host of the epicenter of casino gaming in downstate New York. Richards was on the Community Advisory Committees (CAC) that voted to forward the applications of Resorts World<\/a> and Metropolitan Park<\/a> to the New York State Gaming Commission\u2019s Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB).<\/p>\n The two Queens-based proposals are among three finalists for up to three $500 million casino licenses<\/a> the state agency could award. It is a stark turnaround for the borough, which was rocked by two harrowing events in the last decade-plus in Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery time I seem to get elected, it\u2019s due to a disaster,\u201d Richards said wryly in a phone interview with Casino Reports, recalling his election wins to the New York City Council in 2013 and borough president in 2020. \u201cFor some reason, the good ol\u2019 lord calls me to lead things whenever there is disaster.\u201d<\/p>\n Now Richards stands at the forefront of what could be a delight with two casino proposals offering seemingly limitless possibilities in terms of tens of thousands of jobs, affordable housing, local tax revenue, a revamped landscape of the borough, and the chance to make Queens a true global destination.<\/p>\n A trusted partner in Cohen<\/p>\n The $8 billion Metropolitan Park proposal<\/a> for a casino adjacent to Citi Field is fronted by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock. Richards and Cohen have a long-standing relationship \u2014 Cohen offered Citi Field as a testing and vaccination site during the pandemic and also provided the borough with $20 million in grants for local-based businesses.<\/p>\n That relationship came back into play both before and during the CAC process, with Richards looking to extract commitments from Cohen and Hard Rock that would benefit the Queens community. For Richards, that included a focus on minority- and women-based enterprises (MBE\/WBE).<\/p>\n \u201cWe used a lot of the leverage even before the CAC process to get commitments, sound commitments in writing,\u201d explained Richards, noting Cohen\u2019s team had to go through his office for the required de-mapping to move the proposal forward. \u201cWhen we got to the CAC process, there were things we only wanted to make sure we shored up.\u201d<\/p>\n That led to Richards discussing the joint conversations that included Cohen and Hard Rock, since, as the borough president put it, \u201cthey\u2019re joined at the hip, and that Hard Rock had to answer the hard questions as well.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe wanted to make sure that Queens, being the most diverse county, there would be a lot of outreach,\u201d he added. \u201cWe wanted to make sure the communities, the [zip codes] surrounding Citi Field, surrounding Metropolitan Park would get first dibs on the opportunities for jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n Resorts World as more than gaming<\/p>\n Richards said he felt closer to the Metropolitan Park process because he was helping \u201cshape it from the ground up,\u201d but added, \u201cI really want to give kudos to both clients for listening. Because I\u2019ve been through this, and it didn\u2019t feel like their plans were being rammed down our throat.\u201d<\/p>\n Resorts World<\/a>, though, is different because of its incumbent status. He noted the venue is \u201ca known entity, they have a trust built within the community already.\u201d<\/p>\n As we celebrate 14 Incredible years of Resorts World New York City, we acknowledge our team, guests & community who have shown great support for us over the years!<\/p>\n Here\u2019s to growing together & continuing to make history in the world\u2019s borough \ud83c\udf06#RWsNextChapter<\/a> #Community<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/JTgtPhlQuy<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Resorts World New York City (@ResortsWorldNYC) October 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The familiarity and support were apparent: Resorts World did not need to make any amendments for its host community agreement with the CAC. Then it dramatically raised the stakes earlier this month<\/a> beyond its eye-popping proposed tax rates of 56% on slot revenue and 30% on table games winnings.<\/p>\n Resorts World specified $2 billion in additional benefits over the course of the 30-year term that raised the total investment of its proposal to $7.5 billion. It included $750 million apiece earmarked for its workforce housing initiative and innovation campus. The latter would also get a $50 million upfront investment for the Kenny \u201cThe Jet\u201d Smith Center, something Richards sees as a potential gateway to bigger things.<\/p>\n \u201cBut how does all this connect?\u201d he asked rhetorically. \u201cBelmont is going to be developed, now we have an opportunity on that site to also build, as we talk about this affordable housing crisis, to solve for the housing crisis as well. So it\u2019s a very bold and intense plan. But we like bold and intense plans in Queens.\u201d<\/p>\n This town is big enough for the both of them<\/p>\n The elephant in the room when it comes to this part of the casino licensing process is whether all of these three casinos can co-exist without cannibalizing each other\u2019s revenue. When excluding concentrated gaming areas including Atlantic City, the Las Vegas Strip, and Colorado\u2019s three communities, about the only area that draws a viable comparison for three casinos operating in such a close radius is northwest Indiana, where Horseshoe Hammond, Ameristar, and Hard Rock Northern Indiana are all within 15 miles of each other.<\/p>\n Metropolitan Park and Resorts World would be nine miles apart. That is about the same the distance separating Hard Rock Northern Indiana from Ameristar. The only other place with large-scale gaming offering similar proximity would be Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun in Connecticut.<\/p>\n Over the last few years, we\u2019ve made some incredible strides in transforming Queens into the Hollywood of the East Coast.<\/p>\n Yesterday was another step forward in that mission as we officially welcomed East End Studios to the World\u2019s Borough! pic.twitter.com\/CSnXzWP7Lr<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Donovan Richards Jr. (@DRichardsQNS) October 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Richards, however, sees two distinct gaming companies with two different target groups that have access to two international airports capable of sharing a big pie.<\/p>\n \u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he replied when asked point-blank. \u201cAnd I\u2019ll tell you why because the math is mathing. It\u2019s two different worlds, it\u2019s two different clientele, right? For Resorts World, they\u2019re closer to Long Island. \u2026 You can come over for a night or two nights and coming from JFK [Airport].<\/p>\n \u201cIf I\u2019m coming from Connecticut, I\u2019m coming from Manhattan, I\u2019m coming from LaGuardia, my hotel is really 15 minutes from LaGuardia,\u201d Richards continued. \u201cThe Mets are playing, the USTA is here. I think there\u2019s a world where [Metropolitan Park] can really turn that into an entertainment hub.\u201d<\/p>\n In the end, it\u2019s about the jobs<\/p>\n Despite all the bells and whistles casinos bring, Richards realizes that the success of these proposals lies in the tens of thousands of jobs either or both casinos can offer to impact the local economy. He recalled Queens losing a chance to host an Amazon headquarters in Long Island City<\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n While that proposal would have potentially brought 25,000 jobs to Queens, the public backlash regarding government incentives and the company\u2019s attitude toward unionizing employees proved too much of a headache for Amazon to deal with. This time around, both casino proposals have strong union backing with plenty of construction jobs in addition to permanent casino positions.<\/p>\n And jobs, more than anything else, are what Richards wants for Queens because he knows Queens needs those jobs to thrive.<\/p>\n \u201cI always tell people I didn\u2019t come here to win a popularity contest. I\u2019ll leave that to others,\u201d he said. \u201cBut at the end of the day, did we leave this place better than we found it?<\/p>\n \u201cFor the single mom in Corona who is struggling right now working a minimum-wage job, this presents an opportunity to literally travel a stop away from her home and be able to work at a world-class arena, world-class hotel, world-class casino, and be home in 15 minutes. This provides an opportunity for those individuals to be a stop away from their home and to stay in their community, live in their community, and work and shop in their community.\u201d<\/p>\n