By: David Avrushmi

New York City will soon be home to three new full-scale casinos, marking one of the most consequential expansions of the state’s gaming landscape in decades. In a landmark decision delivered Monday morning at the CUNY Graduate Center in Midtown, the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board approved all three of the downstate licenses available—bringing an end to a yearslong process defined by sky-high financial stakes, intense lobbying, sustained neighborhood resistance, and aggressive corporate jockeying. As The New York Daily News reported on Monday, the selection of the three winners represents the culmination of one of the city’s most hard-fought and politically charged development battles in recent memory.

The board’s decision awards licenses to Resorts World in Jamaica, Hard Rock Metropolitan Park adjacent to Citi Field in Willets Point, and the Bally’s Bronx casino project set to rise on the redeveloped golf course at Ferry Point Park. These three facilities will be the first true casinos the city has ever hosted—distinguishing them from the racinos that have operated with limited offerings. The newly approved venues will feature traditional table games and other amenities associated with full-scale gaming destinations, making them centerpieces of the state’s strategy to capture billions in new revenue.

The selection of these three contenders was hardly inevitable. At one point, more than a dozen proposals were floated across the five boroughs, with ambitious pitches from international gaming giants, celebrity real-estate investors, and New York power brokers. But as The New York Daily News report emphasized, community opposition—particularly in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and parts of Queens—dramatically reshaped the landscape, forcing some of the most high-profile bids to collapse. Local fears about crime, traffic, problem gambling, and displacement created political roadblocks that even the city’s most connected developers could not overcome.

In the end, three bids remained viable enough to meet the state’s criteria and withstand neighborhood scrutiny. Resorts World, already a fixture at Aqueduct Racetrack since 2011, entered the competition with a powerful advantage: an existing customer base, a proven operational footprint, and a massive built-out space ready for immediate expansion. As The New York Daily News report noted, its transition from racino to full casino is expected to be the smoothest of the three projects and could begin generating significant revenue swiftly.

Hard Rock Metropolitan Park, meanwhile, represents the boldest—and in many ways, most contentious—vision among the winners.

Backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen and the global Hard Rock brand, the project promises a sprawling entertainment complex in the shadow of Citi Field, complete with a concert venue, new public spaces, and a high-end casino floor. Its selection marks a dramatic moment in the transformation of Willets Point, a neighborhood long characterized by industrial blight and now at the center of major redevelopment ambitions. According to The New York Daily News, Cohen’s deep pockets, extensive lobbying, and political influence played a central role in pushing the bid over the finish line.