By:  Hadassa Kalatizadeh

Related Companies is upping its casino bid offering, as two of the top contenders are seemingly out of the game.

As reported by the NY Post, Related Companies has proposed a revised $10 billion development plan for its bid to secure a coveted gaming license to open a mega casino in Hudson Yards.  The real estate developer now has added to its proposal, promising to deliver two skyscrapers, and dedicating the entire western half of Hudson Yards.  The first, 3 million-square-foot Wynn-branded “resort” tower, will feature an oversized 1,700-key hotel, which will help serve the nearby Javits Center which has been struggling.  That tower will also have 250,000 square feet of casino space, including table games such as poker, blackjack, roulette, and craps, Related CEO Jeff Blau told the Post.  The skyscraper would also include high-end restaurants and posh retail shops. “It will be one of the most incredible tall buildings in New York City,” Blau said Friday.

The surprise addition is a second tower—a 2 million-square-foot office tower—on the   undeveloped 6.5-acreportion of the Yards, between 11th and 12th Avenues, Blau revealed.  The previously announced promises still stand—including a 5.5-acre public green park connected to the High Line, a neighborhood public school, and a 1-million square-foot rental apartment tower which will offer 329 “affordable” units. “For these reasons we feel we’re in a good position with the best proposal,” Blau said. “We’re looking to win.”

Related’s chances of being awarded with the downstate gaming license got a boost, when frontrunner billionaire Steve Cohen’s proposal for a gambling and entertainment complex on state-owned land near Citi Field was shot down last week by NYS Sen. Jessica Ramos, per the Post.  An offering by Bally’s Casino’s on Donald Trump’s Bronx golf course also seems out of the picture, due to a conflict with the city over the land’s leasing.

Other viable options for the casino may still include Times Square in an offering by developer SL Green in collab with Caesars and Jay-Z;Coney Island by Developer Thor Equities; and near the United Nations in Midtown Manhattan by Soloviev Group and Mohegan.  A surprising favorite now seems to be Nassau Coliseum in Long Casino by Sands, which gained local approval last week.  That plan may still hit a snag due to its close proximity to Hofstra University.  “While there are still hurdles to overcome, the overwhelming bipartisan approval of the lease transfer to the Sands puts Nassau County one step closer to opening up what will be one of the finest resorts, entertainment centers and casinos in the world,” Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman told The Post.

Related’s bid to open a casino in Hudson Yards, along with partner Wynn and Oxford Properties, still has to get approval from the six-member site review board, which includes Gov. Kathy Hochul, Mayor Eric Adams, City Councilman Erik Bottcher, Assemblyman Tony Simone, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and State Sen. Brad Hoylman.  Hoylman, whose district covers Hudson Yards, seemed less than keen on the proposal, even after the revision.  “It’s a steep hill to climb given the community was promised open space, a public school and affordable housing where the casino is proposed,” Hoylman told The Post on Friday, saying the casino didn’t fit with the neighborhood they are trying to create.

Related hopes to win votes thanks to the much-needed hotel near Javits Center.