Companies Spend Big on Lobbyists Amid Hunt for Three New York Casino Licenses

The race for three New York casino licenses is emptying the pockets of a slew of prospective license-holders.

According to the New York City Council Clerk Office’s Lobbying Bureau Annual Report, six of the top 10 lobbyist spenders were casino bidders. They spent more than $6 million as part of a record $138 million in annual contributions to sway Mayor Eric Adams and other public officials.

The $138 million total is a 5.4 percent increase in spending compared to the $130.96 million in 2023.

Splashing the cash

The race for the three New York casino licenses has been going on for more than a year now. Prospective licensees are aiming to take advantage of New York’s robust gaming market, which has dominated nationwide legal sports betting numbers since it launched its market in January, 2022. 

According to the report, 636 lobbyists filed statements on behalf of 2,267 clients for 2024. The lobbyists paid $208,100 in registration fees to the city.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Queens Future, LLC led all spenders with $1,862,534.67 in payments to 14 lobbying firms. His group, which is partnered with Hard Rock International, aims to build a casino adjacent to the Mets’ stadium in Queens.

Malaysia-based Genting Group was second in contributions but still only spent about half the total of Queens Future, paying $990,000. It hopes to reconstruct Resorts World New York City racino in Queens near the JFK Airport. 

Bally’s corporation rounded out the top three with $914,000 in lobbyist spending. It hopes to construct a casino-resort near the Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in The Bronx, part of a focus in “corporate strategic priorities” that saw it abandon a casino project near Penn State’s campus.

Not going out without a fight

Other companies pursuing New York casino licenses that cracked the top 10 included East River Realty Company, LLC, TSG Coney Island Entertainment Holdco, LLC, and Wynn Resorts.

East River spent $613,000 in as it looks to build a casino on the East Side of Manhattan alongside the Soloviev Group and Mohegan.

TSG Coney Island spent $488,000 in its pursuit of a license for a casino-resort in its namesake Coney Island.

Wynn, which sold its sports betting license to PENN Entertainment last year, spent $411,000 fighting for its proposal at Hudson Yards. The sports betting license was used to launch ESPN Bet last fall.

The six parties represented on the top 10 spenders do not represent the entire list of casino bidders. MGM, Las Vegas Sands, and Caesars are all mega-brands in the world of gaming that are expected to present official bids when the window opens.

Other celebrity-led groups such as Jay-Z’s Roc Nation are also in the hunt for the lucrative license.