Citi Field Casino Has “Very Good Shot” of Approval, NY Senator Says

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen’s Citi Field proposal  has a “very good shot” of landing a casino operator’s license, a state official said. 

State Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, who is running for Manhattan borough president and who opposed casinos in New York City, confirmed the project has gained lots of momentum. However, it is up against stiff competition, with other high-profile bidders also in the running for operators licenses.

The New York Gaming Facility Board will choose three projects to license from eight applicants.

Leading the race?

Despite the ongoing race for licensing, Hoylman-Sigal has not shied away from his anti-casino stance. The current Democratic nominee for the local presidency said that he believes casinos are a net negative for the local community.

“If you want a casino in Manhattan, don't vote for Brad Hoylman-Sigal,” he said on CBS News New York's “The Point with Marcia Kramer.” “If you want to exacerbate the problem of quality of life in a neighborhood, drop a casino in the middle of that. Crime, traffic, addiction. Casinos feed on all of those societal problems.”

Luckily for the legislator, the Citi Field proposal, known as Metropolitan Park, wouldn’t belong to his jurisdiction. 

Instead, if approved, it would result in a redevelopment of approximately 50 acres of parking space in Queens.

Hoylman-Sigel’s potential jurisdiction includes a Times Square casino proposal, led by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation, Caesars Entertainment, and development company SL Green. The casino last week had opened its public comment period, which was commemorated by numerous marquees in the theater district displaying the message “No Times Square Casino.”

“In my opinion, [casinos are a] shortsighted way to raise revenue for the state, because look at the other side. Again, the problems that casinos bring to neighborhoods are well-documented. Those cost the public purse a lot of money, too. 

“That said, if a community strongly embraces a casino in another borough, more power to them. I think the one at Citi Field has a very good shot after we amended a statute in Albany to allow that casino to go forward.”

Competition heats up

Plans for Metropolitan Park call for an $8 billion development project of a casino and entertainment complex. 

The campus would include a 25-acre public park, retail stores, restaurants, a food hall, improvements to local bike paths and roads, a 5,650-seat venue, and a Hard Rock resort and casino. The project would also create an estimated 23,000 union jobs and result in $1 billion in community benefits for Queens.

Many in the gaming industry believe that MGM’s Empire City and Genting’s Resorts World New York City to be the favorites to land licenses since both already have a presence at local racinos. 

However, the projects can not be sent to the final approval stage until they pass a vote from local Community Advisory Boards.

New York State Gaming Commission Chairman Brian O’Dwyer has also promised that the licensing process will remain competitive, with other bidders including Bally’s, the developer behind the World Trade Center, and others.

License recipients are expected to be announced before the end of the year.