New York City Casino Licenses Delayed Until January

State Legislator Says It'll Be An Extra Month Before Regulators Make Their Decision

New York gamblers anxious to see which projects will receive one of the three downstate casinos licenses will have to wait a little longer.

State gaming regulators were expected to award the three licenses by the end of December. However, the changed. Sen. Joseph Addabbo told Sports Boom regulators won’t make a decision until January.

The legislature doesn’t reconvene until January, so moving the issue out of the committee stage couldn’t begin until then.

The city is considering several casino bids for New York City. Mets owner Steve Cohen wants to build a Hard Rock Casino next to Citi Field, a joint venture wants to build a casino resort at Coney Island, Bally’s wants to build a Bronx casino, Caesars has plans to build a casino near the United Nations Building, as does the Soloviev Group.

Two of the three licenses are expected to go to existing properties functioning as racinos. The MGM-owned Empire City Raceway in Yonkers is expected to get one. Resorts World NYC near the Aqueduct is a favorite to get the other.

That just leaves one up for grabs and several projects battling for the final spot. Once legislators have this in the rear view, it’s possible they look to legalize New York online casinos.

Sports Betting Plan Also Delayed

According to Addabbo, the addition of new sports betting options is on the same timeline. In other words, that’s delayed too.

Efforts to add prop bets on player awards still need legislative approval. Then, New Yorkers could bet on who wins season-long awards like the Super Bowl MVP and the Heisman Trophy winner.

The senator said adding these types of options give the state the chance to recoup revenue from bets heading to out-of-state sportsbooks.

“My colleagues [in the state legislature] are sometimes apprehensive, but I mention that New Yorkers are already making these types of prop bets in neighboring states such as New Jersey and Connecticut,” Addabbo told Sports Boom. “Also, the governor needs to know that New York is viewed nationally as an expanding U.S. market. We are currently losing $1 billion per year, and we need the revenue.”

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