Casino backers are seeking to change New York's skyline with the potential projects.
Rendering: Soloviev Group, FXCollaborative, Motiv, Silverstein Properties/Binyan Studios
NYC's $4.4 Billion Casino Battle Now Lies With Gambling Skeptics
Bids for the three casino licenses in the NYC area are due Friday, with at least eight projects vying for a coveted spot.
Vicki Been, the chair of New York’s Gaming Facility Location Board, says she’s never been to a casino.
“That’s nowhere I want to spend my time,” said Been, a former deputy mayor for housing and economic development for New York City. She now leads the board that will decide which three of eight high-profile bidders — Mets owner Steve Cohen and MGM Resorts International among them — will win a license to operate a casino in downstate New York.
The initial bids are due Friday. To win backing, the proposals make big promises: Thousands of housing units, green spaces, and lots and lots of jobs. And the estimated payoff for the owners of three successful projects in the most populous US city is a whopping $4.4 billion in annual gambling revenue, according to Spectrum Gaming Group.