The Casino Hunger Games: NYC Edition

NYC Casino Bids, Ranked by What They’re Offering Communities

I’ve been going down NYC casino rabbit holes for a while. To bring you up to speed,

Part 1 of this series outlined the following:

• NYC is getting a casino because of some very effective donations and lobbying.

• But if no one wants a casino in their backyard, we should examine why. And try to offset the negative side effects as much as possible.

• Even though neighbors worry about more crime and traffic associated with a casino, those aren’t big problems. There aren’t significant increases in crime, and the impact on traffic is hard to quantify.

• The worst negative side effect of casinos is problem gambling. The casino business model relies on extracting money from people who are addicted to gambling. Many of whom come from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

• As such, communities should demand additional concessions from casinos to decrease problem gambling.

In part Part 2, I argued:

• Singapore provides a model for regulation: no local-targeted ads, strict betting limits, gambler-set time/expenditure caps, and an entry fee for residents while tourists enter free.

• These measures reduce harm by discouraging locals, especially vulnerable groups, from gambling, while still generating revenue from tourists.

• NYC communities should leverage casino operators’ eagerness for permits and demand similar protections: betting limits, ad restrictions, gambler self-controls, and steep local entry taxes.

I’m against casinos. They thrive on addiction and drain money from locals, especially the disadvantaged. But since we’re getting three new casinos anyway, we should treat them like polluters- industries that impose harm and therefore owe the community. That means extracting concessions in the proposal process. And now’s the time to make demands. Casinos are getting public input and amending their proposals to cater to local needs.

In Part 3, let’s explore:

• Where are the remaining casino bids and what concessions are they offering?

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Where are the remaining casino bids and what concessions are they offering?

There are 3 licenses up for grabs, and eight applications from Yonkers to Coney Island. Here’s the eight applicants:

While the state may care the most about the number of jobs created or the amount of tax revenue predicted, I wanted to break down the fun stuff instead: what do we get in addition to the casino? What’s the special sauce that the proposers hope will get them over the finish line?

Here’s the breakdown of what they include and the concessions they’re offering, in superlative form.

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Most likely to move forward

Observers have predicted from the start that MGM Empire City (Yonkers) and Resorts World (Queens, by JFK) would get two of the three licenses because they already operate racinos: slot parlors built alongside horse racing tracks. It’s lower-risk for the state to give full licenses to these operators because they’ve already been in business for years.

Another added benefit from awarding to existing operators is they can start generating tax revenue sooner. For a state that’s eyeing financial uncertainty in the next few years, more tax revenue sooner sounds pretty good.

What concessions are they offering?

Resorts World (in Queens, near JFK) runs a community grants program that has donated over $3 million to local organizations since 2011, and those grants shored up enough goodwill to get local organizations to show up at the casino’s first committee meeting in favor of the project. More than 40 speakers testified in favor of the casino’s proposal to become the largest casino in the United States. And there weren’t speakers in opposition. Those organizations are hoping the grants will keep flowing and get bigger if the casino is granted a full license. Resorts World has promised the neighborhood a STEM innovation center and 10+ acres of community green space if they get a license.

In contrast, MGM Empire City (Yonkers) doesn’t seem to be trying very hard on the concessions front. Neighbors noticed, and showed up at their committee meeting to complain. I’ll give MGM credit for one concession: their casinos partner with GameSense, a responsible gaming program. I couldn’t find any research on whether this actually works to decrease problem gambling, but maybe it’s better than nothing 🤷

The incumbency advantage is huge— compared to the brand new casino proposals (below), these concessions are measly. Resorts World and MGM didn’t think they needed to make big promises about future concessions in order to get a license. Whereas the newcomers are pulling out all the stops to win over the neighborhoods.

Who’s left?

If it plays out that these two are most likely to get two of the three licenses, that leaves these 6 other casinos vying for one spot:

• Bally’s Bronx

• Caesars Times Square

• The Coney

• Freedom Plaza near the UN

• Metropolitan Park at Citi Field

• The Avenir near the Javits Center

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Most Trumpy

Bally’s Bronx Casino is proposed for Ferry Point Park, where the corporation already operates the city-owned golf course, Bally’s Links. If approved, the casino would also come with a 500-room hotel, a spa and meeting space, and a 2,000-seat event center. Concessions include:

• $625M community benefit package

• Green space improvements

Okay, Trump doesn’t really have anything to do with this one. Except that, if accepted, Bally’s would pay the Trump Organization $115 million to buy the land. And because of City Council concerns, this proposal required the mayor to get involved in order to make it through. Any time Eric Adams overrides city councilmembers and there’s a Trump tie-in, it raises eyebrows. I’d put the chances of a Queens or Manhattan casino above this one, not just because of the Trump connection, but also because of the difference in tax revenue and jobs.

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Most Celebrity Flair

Caesars Palace Times Square is proposing a casino with a 992-room hotel, wellness retreat, and nightclub and entertainment curated by Roc Nation. This proposal definitely has the most sex appeal and celebrity backing. They’re even namedropping in their concessions:

• Civil rights museum led by the Rev. Al Sharpton

• Local public safety initiatives designed by former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton

• $22.5 million over 15 years — plus 0.5% of the casino’s annual profits in perpetuity to a local nonprofit: West Side Community Fund

• New sexual health center

My favorite casino concessions story is this one: Alicia Keys can win Tonys, but not her own building.

• Alicia Keys has a Tony-winning Broadway musical about Manhattan Plaza, the 1,600-unit affordable complex for performing artists where she grew up.

• Broadway is the biggest and loudest challenge to a new Times Square casino because Broadway is worried that the casino will steal their audiences.

• Since Jay-Z is one of the casino partners, Alicia Keys tried to win over Manhattan Plaza tenants to advocate for the casino. The casino tried to give the apartment complex millions of dollars every year in perpetuity, but the residents said no to the money.

Even starving artists wouldn’t sell out to the casino.

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Biggest Underdog

The Coney casino proposal is an attempt to revitalize the Coney Island neighborhood, to move it from just a summer destination to a year round attraction. The proposal includes a 2,400-seat arena, 92,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, and a 500-room hotel.

But the project faces concerns from neighbors. In return, the Coney is promising the following concessions:

• 1+ acre of new public open space

• $200 million fund for local organizations

• $15 million in public safety investments

I’m putting this one as the underdog since the numbers on jobs, tax revenue, and concessions pale in comparison to the Queens and Manhattan proposals.

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Most Family Friendly

The Freedom Plaza casino proposal is on Manhattan’s east side, by the UN. It’ll include a museum and two hotels as well as the following concessions:

• 1,000 new housing units, 600 of them affordable

• 5-acre public park

• Day care

• Giving 2% of its net revenue back to the community annually (estimated at $12.5M per year), in addition to a pledge of $5 million immediately payable upon receiving the license

As the Freedom Plaza team was been thinking about how to woo the neighbors and local elected officials, they took the city’s housing crisis into consideration as well as the need for more green space and childcare. The location is currently the largest undeveloped lot in Manhattan, so I hope it includes housing eventually whether or not it gets the casino license.

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Most Try Hard

Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at Citi Field wants to turn some of their parking lots into money. The plan includes a hotel and 5,650-capacity venue, and a huge $1B community benefits package, including:

• 25 acres of new public park space, athletic fields and playgrounds

• “Flushing Skypark,” a bike and pedestrian bridge

• 450 new units of affordable housing

• Improvements to the Mets-Willets Point subway station

• $163M in grants to local non-profits

They get the prize for “most try hard” for pulling out all the stops to invest in local infrastructure, public space, and affordable housing.

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Most Commuter

The Avenir in Hell’s Kitchen, near the Javits Center, will include a 1,000-room hotel, boutique 150-seat entertainment venue, conference space, and a spa with a pool. Their concessions include:

• 2,000 new housing units (through off-site office-to-residential conversions), 25% affordable

• Public art gallery

• Partnerships with local nonprofits Hudson Guild and Covenant House

Since it’s near the Javits Center and Lincoln Tunnel, the goal is to reel in business travelers and convention attendees. While some local residents worry about the impact on the neighborhood, others welcome more resources and investment to improve livability.

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I’m curious your take. These proposals came out of the applicants’ conversations with community members and elected officials about what they want to see. So some of them landed on really normal effective policy things like housing and subway upgrades. Others got more creative and decided to offer civil rights museums and sexual health centers. Casino applicants are desperate to win over community approval, so if you’ve got an idea, now’s the time to get it out there. My next newsletter will be about how you can weigh in.