A key state panel has moved two major casino proposals for New York City a significant step closer to reality, setting the stage for a dramatic expansion of legal gambling in the metropolitan area.
Board Backs Billions in Development
On Monday 1 December 2025, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board formally recommended awarding lucrative downstate casino licences to two high-profile projects. The recommendations now go to the full state Gaming Commission, which is anticipated to grant final approval before the end of the year.
The first proposal is a $4 billion development by Bally's planned for the city-owned Ferry Point golf course in the Bronx. The project would be built on a parking lot and some practice greens at the public 18-hole course, which was previously operated by the Trump Organization.
Notably, the deal will result in a substantial financial windfall for former President Donald Trump. Bally's, based in Rhode Island, purchased the rights to operate the golf course from the Trump Organization in 2023, with an agreement to pay an additional $115 million if it secured a casino licence.
Queens Set for Two Gaming Hubs
The second recommended licence is for an $8.1 billion Hard Rock casino and entertainment complex proposed by New York Mets billionaire owner Steve Cohen. The development would rise on a parking lot adjacent to the baseball team's CitiField stadium in Queens and promises to be a massive destination.
Plans include a performance venue with over 5,000 seats, a 1,000-room hotel, and extensive retail and shopping space. The gaming board highlighted the project's potential to "unify an already vibrant" area of Queens.
In a separate but related decision, the board also recommended that Resorts World be allowed to expand its existing slots parlour at the Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, near John F. Kennedy Airport, into a full-scale casino. The Malaysia-based company has pledged to invest more than $5 billion to add traditional table games like blackjack and poker, alongside hotel and entertainment amenities.
A Competitive and Controversial Process
The path to these recommendations was fiercely competitive. What began with around eight proposals in September saw several high-profile plans falter. A Jay-Z-backed scheme for a Caesars Palace in Times Square and two other Manhattan resorts were knocked out after failing to gain approval from local advisory boards.
In October, MGM Resorts abruptly withdrew from the race, citing changed economic assumptions for its planned expansion of the Empire City Casino in Yonkers.
The process has not been without controversy. During the board's meeting at the CUNY Graduate Center, a group of anti-casino protesters chanted "Shame on you!" as they were escorted from the room.
The state is authorised to license up to three casinos in the New York City area following a 2013 voter referendum. While four full casinos with table games operate upstate, and nine electronic gambling halls exist downstate, these new licences will mark the first full-scale, live-table game casinos in the five boroughs.
The anticipated tax revenues from these facilities are already accounted for in the New York state budget, underscoring the significant fiscal stakes of the impending final decision by the Gaming Commission.
