Many Major League Baseball clubs want to position a sportsbook at their stadiums, like BetMGM at Nationals Park.
Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, seeks an entire casino next to Citi Field in Flushing Meadows, in Queens borough. To that end, Cohen is talking with the Las Vegas Sands Corp., according to Sportico.
The discussion comes as New York begins the process of selecting casino bids for the region in and around New York City. The state gaming commission intends to award three in the New York City area: in the city itself, in Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, and in three counties north of the city (Westchester, Rockland and Putnam).
The talks are preliminary, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. Neither Cohen nor the Sands Corp. have commented publicly.
Citi Field opened in 2009 adjacent to the site of the old Shea Stadium. The team has a 99-year lease to the land, which includes lots adjacent to the stadium that are being considered for a potential casino, the sources said.
The New York Post reported last month that casino operators had scouted spots near Citi Field, near Belmont Park in Long Island (home of the fabled racetrack and the New York Islanders’ new arena) and the St. George neighborhood in Staten Island. It mentioned Bally’s Corp., Wynn, Las Vegas Sands and Malaysia-based Genting as groups that might express interest.
New York has a number of racinos and tribal casinos and four commercial casinos in the upstate region. They are Del Lago Resort and Casino in Tyre, Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, Tioga Downs in Tioga, and Resorts World Catskills in Kiamesha Lake, all at least 90 miles from New York City.
