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Dive brief:
- Three large-scale hotel-casino projects have been approved for New York City after a vote Monday by the New York State Gaming Commission, according to an announcement by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul. No construction schedule was released.
- In Flushing, Queens, Hard Rock International and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will bring Metropolitan Park to a 50-acre area surrounding the baseball team’s stadium at Citi Field. Also in Queens, Genting Group-owned Resorts World New York City will expand its existing slot facility at South Ozone Park near the Aqueduct Racetrack on a 72-acre site. And in Ferry Point, the Bronx, Bally’s Corporation will build a 3 million square foot integrated resort.
- Monday’s vote was the culmination of a multi-year process that saw several casino proposals fail to garner community support, including an abandoned plan to build a resort on Brooklyn’s Coney Island and multiple Manhattan casino proposals that were withdrawn or not approved.
Diving knowledge:
The three winning proposals “had local support, clear community benefits and sustainable economic plans,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that the trio of approved casinos “would generate billions of dollars for the MTA and education, create tens of thousands of jobs and provide real benefits to surrounding communities.”
The $8.1 billion metropolitan park will feature a Hard Rock hotel, casino and sports betting, restaurants and bars, retail shops, meeting and event spaces and a 5,650-seat theater-style venue, according to a release. The complex will also include the Taste of Queens food hall, which will showcase Queens food vendors. The project’s ownership team includes Cohen, Hard Rock International, construction firm McKissack & McKissack and investment bank Siebert Williams Shank & Co.
“From the day I bought the team, the Mets community and fans have made it clear to me that we can and must do better with the area around the ballpark,” Cohen said in the statement. “Now, we will be able to deliver the sports and entertainment district that our fans have been asking for.”
Resorts World New York City’s $7.5 billion proposal is expected to include a $5.5 billion physical investment at the 72-acre Aqueduct site and will feature a 2,000-key hotel, based on the existing 400-unit Hyatt Regency that currently stands, the statement said. In addition, there will be a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor, a new 7,000-seat multipurpose entertainment venue, more than 7,000 parking spaces and more than 12 acres of new public green space.
“New York City’s journey to this historic moment for Resorts World represents more than 15 years of work to generate jobs, income and opportunity for our neighbors,” Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, said in a statement. The company plans to have “hundreds of board games available” on the site by the end of March 2026.
Meanwhile, Bally’s $4 billion, 250-foot-tall casino project in the Bronx will include a 500-key luxury hotel, 500,000 square feet of gaming space and a 2,000-person event center, as well as extensive parking and multiple entertainment and entertainment venues destined for the Bronx.
“Bally’s is poised to make the largest private investment in the borough’s history, and with it a long-term commitment to community benefits for Bronx residents,” Soo Kim, president of Bally’s Corporation, said in a June statement about the project.
