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FILE – This image rendering provided by Hard Rock International, shows the Hard Rock’s casino proposal in the Queens borough of New York, adjacent to Citified. (Hard Rock International via AP, File)<\/p>\n
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FILE – This image rendering from Resorts World shows the Resorts World casino, owned by Malaysian casino giant Genting, a $5.5-billion investment to its gaming facility at the Aqueduct Racetrack in the Queens borough of New York. (Resorts World via AP, File)<\/p>\n
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FILE – In this photo provided by the Office of the Mayor of New York, Mayor Eric Adams, third left, participates in the ribbon cutting ceremony and sign unveiling of Bally Links, formerly Trump Links, at Ferry Point in the Bronx borough of New York, Thursday, Jan. 11, 2024. (Michael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office via AP, File)<\/p>\n
Michael Appleton\/AP<\/p>\n
NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Casinos proposed for a golf course in the Bronx and next to the New York Mets\u2019 ballpark are poised to cash in on a lucrative state gambling license for the New York City area.<\/p>\n
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The two proposals were recommended for licensing by a key state gaming board on Monday.<\/p>\n
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The New York Gaming Facility Location Board also called for awarding a license to Resorts World to expand its slots parlor located in Queens near the John F. Kennedy Airport into a full-scale casino with table games and other amenities.<\/p>\n
Bally’s $4 billion casino plan for the city-owned Ferry\u2019s Point golf course also notably means President Donald Trump will also see a significant casino windfall.<\/p>\n
The Rhode Island-based company purchased the rights to operate the public 18-hole course from the Trump Organization in 2023, with the promise to pony up another $115 million if it won a casino license.<\/p>\n
The recommendations now head to the state Gaming Commission, which is expected to formally issue the licenses before the end of the year, as the gambling revenues from the facilities are already factored<\/a> into the state budget.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The commission is authorized to license up to three casinos in the New York City area after voters approved a referendum back in 2013 opening the door to casino gambling across the state.<\/p>\n Since then, four full casinos<\/a> with table games have opened in New York, but all of them are located upstate, miles away from Manhattan. The state also has nine gambling halls<\/a> offering slot machines and other electronic gambling machines, but no live table games.<\/p>\n The gaming board on Monday listed many community benefits promised by the proposals, from public safety investments to public transit and roadway improvements. They also noted the individual aspects of the plans that made them compelling, from the Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course included in Bally\u2019s Bronx proposal to the Hard Rock casino\u2019s potential to \u201cunify an already vibrant\u201d area of Queens anchored by Citifield.<\/p>\n A group of anti-casino protesters chanted \u201cShame on you! Shame on you!\u201d as they were escorted out of the meeting at the CUNY Graduate Center in midtown.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The closely watched competition for a New York City license began with a crowded field, with some eight proposals in the running as recently as September.<\/p>\n But four of the high-profile plans failed to get the stamp of approval from local advisory boards, automatically knocking them out of contention.<\/p>\n Among the most notable was a Jay-Z-backed plan to build a Caesars Palace in Times Square, as well as two other resorts proposed in central Manhattan.<\/p>\n Then in October, MGM abruptly pulled<\/a> out of the license sweepstakes, saying the \u201ccompetitive and economic assumptions underpinning\u201d their plans had changed. The Las Vegas casino giant had planned a major expansion of the Empire City Casino, a slots parlor located at the Yonkers Raceway north of Manhattan.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n In the Bronx, Bally\u2019s has proposed a $4 billion development<\/a> on a parking lot and some practice greens at the city-owned Ferry\u2019s Point golf course, which was previously run by Trump\u2019s company.<\/p>\n In Queens, billionaire New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has proposed building a $8.1 billion<\/a> Hard Rock casino on a parking lot of the professional baseball team\u2019s CitiField. The complex would include a more than 5,000-seat performance venue, a 1,000-room hotel and retail and shopping space.<\/p>\n