New York is finally at the finish line of a long, noisy race: the battle for the city’s newest casino licenses.

After years of lobbying, community hearings, revised plans, and political drama, state officials are expected to award up to three downstate casino licenses—and as of now, three big-ticket proposals remain in contention1.

  • Resorts World New York City (Queens)
  • Hard Rock / Metropolitan Park at Citi Field (Queens)
  • Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point (Bronx)

For New Yorkers—and for readers of NewYork.com—these decisions will shape jobs, traffic, neighborhood character, and billions in public revenue for decades. Here’s a look at the finalists, what they’re promising, and what’s really at stake.

How We Got Here

New York voters approved a constitutional amendment in 2013 to allow commercial casinos, with up to three licenses reserved for the downstate region (NYC, Long Island, and the lower Hudson Valley). After upstate projects came first, attention turned to New York City and its surroundings.

Over time, more than a dozen proposals surfaced—from Times Square to Coney Island to Hudson Yards. Community opposition, zoning hurdles, and political resistance slowly whittled the field down. By late 2025, only three proposals were still standing, all in the five boroughs2.

The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board will select up to three winners based on a scoring system that heavily emphasizes economic development (70%), plus location impact (10%) and workforce and diversity plans (20%). Each winning developer must pay a $500 million license fee and commit at least $500 million in capital investment—though all three finalists are proposing much more3.

State officials had aimed to make decisions by December 1, 2025, with licenses formally approved by the Gaming Commission by year’s end4 but there has not been any formal communication from the state.

Finalist #1: Resorts World New York City (Queens)

If you’ve ever driven past Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park, you’ve already seen the only existing casino in New York City: Resorts World New York City, currently operating with video lottery terminals and electronic table games.

Resorts World wants to level up. Its bid calls for a $5.5 billion transformation of the 73-acre Aqueduct site into a massive, integrated resort. The plan includes:

  • A 5.6 million-square-foot complex
  • Up to 6,000 slot machines and 800 gaming tables
  • 2,000 hotel rooms
  • A 7,000-seat arena
  • Over 30 restaurants and bars
  • More than a dozen acres of public greenspace5

Because it’s already operating as a racino, Resorts World says it can add live table games and full casino operations within six months of receiving a full license, and has projected billions in revenue for the state within a few years, including significant contributions for education and transit5.

Pros for New York City:

  • Fastest path to immediate revenue and jobs
  • Existing transit access (A train, highways)
  • Built-in customer base and operational experience

Cons for New York City:

  • Traffic and congestion around an already busy corridor
  • Questions about problem gambling in nearby neighborhoods
  • Whether expanding an existing casino is as transformative as building something new

Finalist #2: Hard Rock & Metropolitan Park at Citi Field (Queens)

The second Queens contender is the most ambitious—and arguably the most controversial. Mets owner Steve Cohen, in partnership with Hard Rock International, is proposing “Metropolitan Park”, an $8 billion sports and entertainment district built on what is now largely parking lots near Citi Field6.

The vision:

  • A Hard Rock-branded casino and hotel
  • A live music venue and performance spaces
  • A Queens-focused food hall and restaurants
  • 20 acres of new public space and parkland
  • Connections to the broader Willets Point redevelopment, including the NYCFC soccer stadium

After legal and political wrangling over whether the area could be developed on former parkland, Cohen and the city recently signed a lease agreement that clears a key hurdle—provided the project wins a casino license7.

Supporters, including Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, pitch Metropolitan Park as a global entertainment hub—leveraging proximity to LaGuardia and JFK, the U.S. Tennis Center, and the future soccer stadium to create a year-round destination for visitors and locals alike3.

Pros for New York City:

  • Part of a larger, long-term vision for remaking the Flushing Meadows–Corona Park/Willets Point area
  • Significant private investment in infrastructure, open space, and entertainment
  • Potentially huge tourism draw with sports, concerts, and gaming clustered together

Cons for New York City:

  • Long-running community concerns about additional congestion and the social impact of a casino
  • Debate over the use of former parkland
  • Whether the promised public benefits will truly reach nearby neighborhoods

Finalist #3: Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point (Bronx)

The lone non-Queens finalist is Bally’s Bronx, proposed for Ferry Point on a golf course formerly associated with the Trump Organization. The $4 billion plan aims to create a full integrated resort on the East River, steps from the Whitestone Bridge1.

Bally’s pitch includes:

  • A large casino floor and hotel
  • Restaurants, retail, and an event center
  • Over 9 million annual visitors, 8.2 million from outside the Bronx
  • An estimated $1.9 billion in statewide economic impact
  • 15,000 union construction jobs and nearly 4,000 permanent union jobs with average wages above $96,0001

The company has emphasized that its project would be the largest private investment in Bronx history, and has floated community-ownership concepts and revenue sharing for local programs8.

Pros for New York City:

  • Major private investment and job creation in a borough that has often been overlooked
  • Potential new tourism draw to the Bronx waterfront
  • Promises of community benefits and local participation

Cons for New York City:

  • Community divisions over gambling, traffic, and quality-of-life issues
  • Ongoing scrutiny over the financial windfall to the site’s former Trump-affiliated interests1

What This Means for New Yorkers

No matter which proposals win, the decision will reshape New York’s economic and cultural landscape:

  • Jobs & Unions: Each project promises thousands of union construction and permanent jobs—particularly significant in the Bronx and Southeast Queens.
  • Tax Revenue: The state is counting on at least $1.5 billion in license fees plus ongoing tax revenue to help plug budget gaps1
  • Neighborhood Impacts: More traffic, more tourists, and more late-night activity are virtually guaranteed; so are debates over housing, small business displacement, and who really benefits.
  • Gambling Concerns: Advocates warn about problem gambling, especially in lower-income communities already facing economic stress.

For readers of NewYork.com, the coming months will be crucial. Whether you live in Queens, the Bronx, or elsewhere in the city, these casinos will influence everything from commutes and jobs to tourism and neighborhood identity.

We’ll continue tracking the decisions, community reactions, and timelines as New York’s newest casinos move from proposal to reality—or, in at least one case, back to the drawing board.

Sources: 

  1. New York gaming board set to award up to 3 casino licenses Monday
  2. Breaking down every 2025 New York casino license bid
  3. NYC official will ‘bet’ both Queens casinos get the OK day before make-or-break vote
  4. Casinos in New York
  5. Resorts World New York City — The Biggest, Boldest Integrated Resort in the U.S.
  6. New York gaming board set to award up to 3 casino licenses Monday
  7. City agrees to Citi Field casino lease after legal challenge threatened proposal
  8. Bally’s offers Bronx residents ownership in planned casino