New York has long allowed State-run lotteries (shout out to Yolanda Vega!), betting on horse races (I remember when OTB – Off Track Betting was a thing), and certain BINGO and lottery games to raise funds for charitable, religious, or not-for-profit organizations.
More recently, in the wake of Congress passing the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988, the state legalized several casinos on Native American land, starting in late 2001, as a post-9/11 revenue-raising move. Then, in 2010 New York joined Powerball. Finally, in 2013, New York State added an amendment to its state Constitution that said full, Las Vegas-style casino gambling would be allowed.
In total, seven casinos will be allowed. Four of them, all in Upstate New York, have already been approved. The other three licenses have yet to be granted.
Since then, developers have been working on blueprints for several potential casinos in New York City. Up to three will be chosen. So yep, the Big Apple might have a full casino or three in a few years!
These are the plans that have been put up for consideration by the New York Gaming Facility Location Board so far:
Times Square
A proposal from Caesars and SL Green Realty to put a casino in a Times Square skyscraper is the plan that’s gotten the most publicity, It is also the one that local organizations are mostly against.
SL Green insists a casino at 1515 Broadway would generate 1,300 hotel jobs and drive tens of millions of dollars into Broadway box offices.
Apparently, Jay-Z and Roc Nation have joined up as investors in this potential casino. However, the Broadway League, a trade group, along with other local organizations, are not the least bit happy with the idea.
Saks Fifth Avenue
Saks Fifth Avenue has pitched to have a high-end casino located on the three top floors of its upscale department store at 611 Fifth Ave., between East 49th and 50th Streets, across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Rockefeller Center.
Hotel Pennsylvania
Vornado Realty Trust is the main property owner of the area around Penn Station, including the legendary Hotel Pennsylvania, which is in the midst of being demolished.
The realty company has expressed interest in building a casino at the soon-to-be former site of the hotel, at 401 7th Avenue, between West 32nd and 33rd Streets.
“We are studying the possibility of applying for a casino license, but we have no deal in place,” Vornado said in a statement.
Midtown East
Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment is a well-known developer of casinos, starting with Mohegan Sun, in Uncasville CT in 1996.
Their plan, in partnership with Soloviev Building Company, is to use a long-vacant 7-acre plot near the UN building (between East 38th to 41st St.) that would be transformed into a casino housed underneath a Ferris wheel, athletic fields, a leafy park, and a museum dedicated to democracy.
Hudson Yards
Related Companies and Wynn Resorts are also throwing their names into the hat – they want to build a casino at NYC’s Hudson Yards, next to the Javits Center, Manhattan’s west shore between West 33rd and 34th Streets.
Jeff Blau, CEO of Related Companies, stated in September that the spot is “the ideal site for a resort that will reinvigorate our tourism economy and provide billions in tax revenues.”
Coney Island
As far back as the late 1800s, Coney Island, in south central Brooklyn NY, was known for its beaches, its amusement parks, and its gambling dens. The idea of somehow resuming gambling in Coney Island had been raised in the late 1970s/early 1980s, and illegal poker dens were still going strong as recently as 2016.
So the concept of legal gambling at Coney Island isn’t very far-fetched. With that, Thor Equities, a major investor in Coney Island, is partnering with Saratoga Casino Holdings, the Chickasaw Nation and Legends to try to get a hotel and casino at Coney Island.
Trump Golf Links
Bally’s is a casino chain based in Rhode Island. They say they’re considering a plan to build a Bronx casino on a 17-acre plot that’s currently part of the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point 18-hole golf course.
In a statement, Bally’s said it had begun an “ongoing series of conversations with local elected officials, community groups and key civic leaders,” to get their input on the potential bid.
Nassau Coliseum
Las Vegas Sands says they’d like to build a resort and casino on the site of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (that’s where the New York Islanders used to play). The location is officially on Long Island, about seven miles from the eastern edge of Queens.
There’s still a whole lot of red tape to get through before any casino opens in or near NYC. But the writing appears to be on the wall – it’s coming! How do you feel about that?
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