“We’re short of land and desperate for affordable housing and open space, but we can go ahead and do those things without tying them to a casino because we have no purpose for a casino.” “Does Manhattan Island need a casino for any reason whatsoever?” Krueger asked. Five of the proposals are located in and around her Manhattan district and she’s not happy about that. She said job and revenue estimates are overstated, and outweighed by the risks. Liz Krueger, a Manhattan Democrat who chairs the finance committee, sees it differently. “New York needs revenue the licenses are sitting on a shelf, collecting dust and doing nothing for our people.”

Joseph Addabbo, a Queens Democrat who chairs the racing, gaming and wagering Committee. Opponents say the facilities lead to higher crime and problem gambling. Casino supporters say the payoff will be thousands of new jobs and billions in revenue. Now the high-stakes contest for the coveted licenses is reaching into community board meeting halls as well as state legislative chambers.

The groups are preparing their bids and sharing plans, but the state Gaming Commission says final decisions are still a ways offīut applicants will submit their formal applications - and their $1 million application fees - in the coming months, once the commission responds to more than 450 questions submitted by interested parties, said Gaming Commission spokesperson Lee Park. Mets owner Steve Cohen, the Related Companies, development firm Soloviev Group and other powerful parties are upping the ante, pushing their public relations chips to the middle of the table and pledging perks in exchange for a lucrative license. All it takes is a few casino licenses.īillionaires, real estate developers and the world’s biggest gaming companies are vying to open Las Vegas-style casinos in and around New York City, from Throgs Neck to Coney Island.īut the state’s gaming commission is only granting three licenses - and two are likely going to the local “racinos” in Yonkers and Ozone Park, where people already play the ponies and take their chances at the slots. New York City can get a brand new park in Corona, a new school in Midtown and much-needed affordable housing over by the U.N.

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