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Other than Coney Island, What Are the Alternatives for Casino Gambling Locations in NYC?
Edited by: TJVNews.com
Now that community board 13 of Coney Island has adamantly rejected consortium proposals to build a casino and entertainment complex, the question arises as to possible alternative locations throughout New York City that would welcome a gambling hub.
As other gaming operators are vying for one of three downstate casino licenses, it was reported that Gaming giant Bally’s is betting on The Bronx. They have proposed the establishment of a casino on the Trump Organization’s public golf course at Ferry Point, the Post reported.
Genting/ Resorts World and MGM’s Empire City, the owners of the existing slot machine parlors at the Aqueduct race track in Ozone Park, Queens, and Yonkers race track are expected to submit bids to expand their offerings to include table games such as black jack and roulette.
Meanwhile, Mets owner and hedge fund titan, Steve Cohen has expressed a strong interest in establishing a casino near the team’s stadium in Flushing, the Post reported. It would potentially create a partnership with Seminole Hard Rock. A 25,000-seat professional soccer stadium is also planned in the vicinity.
Other venues that are currently being considered are New York City’s Hudson Yards, with Stephen Ross’ Related Companies and Wynn Resorts planning a bid to operate a casino on Manhattan’s West Side.
Others planning bids to operate a casino the landlord SL Green/Caesars Entertainment team in Times Square.
The Post also reported last week that the Sands Casino struck a deal with Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman to open a gaming facility and entertainment complex at the old Nassau Coliseum hub in Uniondale if the state grants it a license.
As to Bally’s interest in the Bronx as a possible site for a casino, the Post reported in February 2023 that Sources familiar with the corporation’s plan said its officials have engaged in discussions with the Trump Organization about assigning 17 of the 300 acres on the site at Ferry Pont to Bally’s to operate a casino.
The property is owned by the city and the real estate company and former President Donald Trump’s business empire now run by two of his sons, Donald Jr. and Eric Trump. The Post reported that it has a 20-year contract with the Parks Department to operate it as a golf course.
Bally’s plan would only require 10 acres for its casino, with the other seven going to a green space or other uses such as housing for workers, according to the sources, as was reported by the Post.
Long-term, Bally’s would like to take over the entire property from the Trump Organization which at one time was a garbage dump, according to sources familiar with the casino company’s thinking.
The Post reported in February that the project could create over 15,000 construction jobs and more than 3,500 permanent, high-paying union jobs with salaries starting at $70,000, plus benefits and retirement, sources familiar with the project told the paper.
In a statement sent to the Post in February, a spokesman for Bally’s said, “We are incredibly excited at the prospect of bringing Bally’s community centered approach to gaming and entertainment to The Bronx. At Bally’s, we start with the proposition that the leaders in the community know what is best for their community.”
“With that guiding principle in mind, we have been engaged in an ongoing series of conversations with local elected officials, community groups and key civic leaders to hear directly from them about what they would like to see from a potential new project,” the statement said. “Our vision, which includes transforming a former waste disposal site and a high-end golf course into a world class entertainment destination, with a focus on workforce housing and new and improved public green space at the center of the project,” the statement added.
Bally’s vowed that Bronx small businesses and residents will have the opportunity to “share in the economic prosperity and access to amenities” provided by the casino “for generations to come.” The Post reported.
“We couldn’t be more grateful at the prospect of writing the next chapter of Bally’s storied history in the Bronx,” the spokesperson said.
On April 28th, the Post reported that hedge fund titan Steve Cohen is pursuing the rights to build a casino in Queens with the same zeal with which he has stockpiled the high-priced roster of his Mets, according to a report.
Cohen, whose net worth is valued by Bloomberg at $13.1 billion through his ownership of the Point72 Asset Management hedge fund, has hired an army of lobbyists to persuade local officials to grant him a license to operate one of three casinos planned for the New York City area, the Post reported.
Blomoberg News reported that Warren Schreiber, who heads a Queens civic organization opposed to the casino said that Cohen, “ has hired the best team that money can buy.”
The Post reported that Bloomberg News also indicated that Cohen was the largest single donor to Mayor Eric Adams’s 2021 election campaign, pumping $2 million into outside PACs to support Adams in the Democratic primary.
Bloomberg News also reported that Cohen’s chief of staff at Point72, Michael Sullivan, has contributed to the political campaigns of elected officials who will grant approval for a casino license, including New York Governor Kathy Hochul and state lawmakers from Queens.
