Queens Borough President Donovan Richards predicted each deliberate casinos within the World’s Borough will get licenses when bidders face a make-or-break vote on Monday.
“I really feel assured. I really feel bullish. Wager on Queens,” Richards mentioned Sunday, a day earlier than the New York Gaming Facility Location board is about to determine whether or not to difficulty as much as three downstate on line casino licenses — with two bidders pitching places in Queens.
“Why go to Manhattan? You may keep in Queens! Queens turns into a worldwide leisure hub,” Richards mentioned.
New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen is main a bunch that wishes to construct a gaming advanced close to Citi Area whereas Genting’s Resorts World is bidding for a on line casino at Aqueduct race monitor.
Bally’s can be bidding for a on line casino advanced at Ferry Level, President Trump’s former golf course in The Bronx.
The proposed $8 billion Cohen-Exhausting Rock Metropolitan Park on line casino advanced can be a vacationer magnet and an financial multiplier subsequent to the US Tennis Heart, new soccer stadium and the Mets dwelling stadium, Richards mentioned.
He mentioned Resorts World, which has operated a slots parlor for greater than a decade, can provide reside desk video games inside months as a result of they have already got the house to take action. The expanded advanced with neighborhood advantages is price $7.5 billion.
Each bidders will construct live performance halls for added leisure.
Each websites are near the borough’s two airports — Metropolitan Park close to LaGuardia and Resorts World close to Kennedy.
In the meantime, Bally’s $4 billion bid has robust help from the Bronx Democratic Celebration elected officers, although it has confronted some stiff neighborhood opposition.
Bally’s chairman Soo Kim advised The Submit Saturday he believes his possibilities of scoring a license “appears to be like fairly good.”
“We put our greatest effort on the market,” he mentioned. “I don’t assume we now have any weak spots.”
Bally’s acquired the golf course at Ferry Level from the Trump Group in 2023, and it’s now referred to as Bally’s Golf Hyperlinks at Ferry Level. It’s on the Bronx facet of the Whitestone Bridge that connects with Queens.
As a part of the deal, Bally’s agreed to supply the Trump Group a further $115 million — if it wins a on line casino license.
The Gaming Facility Location Board is evaluating every undertaking primarily based on standards set in state legislation. Financial exercise and enterprise growth accounts for 70% of the grade, 10% for location website influence — and 20% combines for workforce enhancement and variety framework.
On line casino candidates every have to pay $500 million license charges to function – which might go into the cash-strapped state’s coffers — as nicely decide to a minimum of $500 million in capital investments on their tasks.
Among the proceeds from gaming operators will assist fund mass transit.
A pool of what was as soon as 11 bidders has dwindled to a few – however there’s no assure every of the survivors will get licenses as a result of the five-member board doesn’t should award any.
However many Albany insiders mentioned the speedy money from the licenses will spur the state to award as many as 3.
The state Gaming Fee could have closing say, ratifying or rejecting the awards made by the siting board by yr’s finish.
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