On Monday (Dec. 1), the Facility Location Board of the New York State Gaming Commission unanimously approved casino licenses for three locations in New York City, with one of them given to an investment group headed by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. Cohen and Hard Rock, who will operate the casino, are aiming to build the casino in Flushing, Queens, right next to Citi Field, where the Mets call home.
The granting of the license is the next to last step before the gaming commission gives its final decision later this month. “The board has determined that awarding all three licenses best advances the state’s long-term economic, fiscal, and community objectives,” said board chair Vicki Been when contacted by Front Office Sports. The Metropolitan Park casino complex is estimated to cost $8 billion to build, and it is slated to also have a full-service hotel, concert venue, a rebuilt transit hub, along with 25 acres of dedicated community green space.
The other two license approvals also carry some interest. One went to Bally’s, who plans to operate their casino from their golf course in the Bronx. They obtained the license to operate the course from the Trump Organization in 2023. That agreement stipulated that if they were granted a license, Bally’s would pay the organization $115 million. The other license went to Resorts World Casino, which is situated at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Hip-Hop icon Nas is part of that investment group.
The site is also expected to connect with the ongoing construction of Etihad Park, the future home of Major League Soccer’s NYCFC at Willets Point. The team currenly divides its home games between Citi Field and Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Cohen acquired the Mets in 2020 for $2.5 billion, and showed his determination to get the Mets a World Series win since, even going so far as to acquire outfielder Juan Soto on a 15-year, $765 million deal.
