The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board, the agency charged with approving licenses for three downstate casinos, has approved a new bid deadline for casino proposals, extending the bid window from August 31, 2024—the deadline set by the state legislature in a bill passed at the expiration of this year’s session—to June 27, 2025.
The bill setting the later deadline has yet to be signed or vetoed by Gov. Kathy Hochul. At the facility location board meeting last week, board members acknowledged that they were making a decision that is in conflict with that law.
Because bids cannot be reviewed until all “entitlements and zoning” are approved, the board views the current deadline as unreasonable.
According to iGaming Business, board chair Vicki Been said with regard to pushing out the downstate casinos bid deadline, “The hope would be that our reasoning will be helpful to the governor.”
Bidders must have zoning changes in place, as well as have environmental impact studies completed before bids can be reviewed.
Two current proposals—Steve Cohen’s Queens proposal near Citi Field and Bally’s proposal in the Bronx—would have to be rezoned to allow casinos, as they are currently zoned as parklands. Neither site has had success rezoning, despite the developers’ attempts.
During the meeting Board member Stuart Rabinowitz noted that the bill before Gov. Hochul would supplant the board’s decision if it is eventually signed.
Meanwhile, efforts continued last week to gain support for two proposed New York casinos, the Caesar Times Square proposal and the Sands New York project on Long Island.
The Times Square proposal, a joint project of Caesars Entertainment, SL Green and entertainment company Roc Nation, which was founded by rapper Jay-Z, has been supported by several Times Square businesses. Last week, the partners pledged to fund neighborhood improvements if they win one of three downstate licenses authorized by New York state.
Brett Herschenfeld, executive vice president at SL Green, said in an interview with amNew York that Caesars Palace Times Square will invest $250 million for neighborhood improvements in the Midtown and Hell’s Kitchen neighborhoods.
“With a project of this scale comes enormous responsibility to our neighborhood and community. We want everyone around us to win if we win,” Herschenfeld said. “I’m not just talking about big businesses. We need to bring benefits to the restaurants, the small mom-and-pop restaurant businesses, and we need to bring benefits to the residents. They are the lifeblood of Times Square.”
Also last week, a public hearing held by the Nassau County Planning Commission provided the latest effort to revive the Las Vegas Sands casino project at the site of the Nassau Coliseum. A new 42-year lease proposed by Sands was introduced at the meeting, which notably excludes the construction of a casino.
The previous 99-year lease granted to Las Vegas Sands was struck down by a court decision that held it was invalid because no public debate preceded it.
Despite the absence of a casino in the current proposal, George Krug, a member of the advocacy group Say No to the Casino, voiced his opposition during the hearing. “This is clearly meant to entrench Sands as they continue their quest to get a gaming license from the state,” Krug said. “Once Sands has control, it’s Sands to control until Sands wants to give it up. That’s what we surmise from this 42-year term.”
The Sands proposal has previously met opposition from unions representing employees of New York’s two racinos, as well as Hofstra University and other nearby schools.
There are currently 11 proposals competing for the three available licenses.
