The Resorts World New York Metropolis On line casino and Hyatt Regency Resort in Queens.
Courtesy of Perkins Eastman
New York Metropolis is on the cusp of changing into a on line casino city.
Within the coming days, the State Gaming Facility Location Board is anticipated to advocate as much as three full-service casinos to the State Gaming Fee. With simply three candidates left — all inside the 5 boroughs — New York Metropolis is nearer than ever to internet hosting gaming as we’ve got by no means seen.
Because the state prepares to take a wager on casinos, New York Metropolis should take a clear-eyed have a look at the stakes and guarantee we’ve got the strongest hand potential.
As we outlined in our latest report, “Casting the Dice: Casinos in New York City,” the arrival of full-scale casinos carries extraordinary promise for our metropolis. The three remaining proposals — Bally’s at Ferry Level within the Bronx, Metropolitan Park/Queens Future at Flushing Meadows–Corona Park, and the expanded Resorts World New York Metropolis On line casino at Aqueduct Racetrack — signify $17.5 billion in whole improvement.
They stand to create practically 3,500 new lodge rooms, hundreds of everlasting jobs, and billions of {dollars} in projected financial exercise. Every proposal consists of neighborhood advantages and infrastructure investments, together with vital open house enhancements. Achieved proper, these initiatives can enhance tourism, create union jobs, and generate development work at a second when funding is required.
However casinos additionally carry actual potential prices as effectively: elevated site visitors, shifting neighborhood dynamics, and a heightened danger of addictive playing. These impacts should not summary — they will probably be felt most intensely within the communities the place these amenities land.
Furthermore, at present, New York Metropolis is not going to obtain a dime of the gaming tax income. Beneath state legislation, each greenback generated by the proposed casinos flows to Albany as an alternative of Metropolis Corridor. In different phrases, the town will shoulder the social and infrastructure burdens whereas the state collects the winnings. That imbalance should be addressed.
If New Yorkers are being requested to welcome a on line casino into our metropolis, then our metropolis should obtain its justifiable share of income and actual commitments for higher transit, neighborhood advantages, public realm upgrades, and companies to stop habit.
The neighborhoods supporting a on line casino needs to be prioritized for extra planning and funding. For instance, the Aqueduct location also needs to be examined for vital housing improvement on 100+ adjoining acres.
Lastly, these commitments made by on line casino candidates should be enforceable and binding, clear and delivered on a timeline the general public can belief.
