Lawmakers push to speed up NYC casino licenses timetable: ‘We’re leaving $2B on the table’
NY Post
Two state lawmakers say it’s time to roll the dice on awarding casino licenses in the New York City area and are backing a bill that would speed up the current much-criticized timetable.
Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D-Queens) and Assemblyman Gary Pretlow (D-Mount Vernon) are pushing a proposed law in the waning days of the state legislative session that would require bids to be submitted by July 31 of this year and the gaming commission to approve the three casino licenses by March 31 of next year.
The state gaming commission recently announced that the casino licenses wouldn’t be awarded until Dec. 31, 2025, triggering denunciations including from a top Sands casino official who wants to open a gaming facility at the Nassau Coliseum hub in Uniondale, LI.
Some industry sources say the more drawn-out timetable benefits bidders facing political resistance or ongoing zoning or land-use issues.
Those bidders include Mets owner Steve Cohen, whose hope is to build an $8 billion casino and entertainment complex next to Citi Field in Queens, and the Related Companies/Caesars, which is proposing a $12 billion casino/office tower complex in Hudson Yards in Manhattan.
Meanwhile, sources say the proposed faster time frame boosts the chances of existing slots parlors — Resorts World at Aqueduct race track and MGM Empire City at Yonkers raceway — who want to obtain a license.
