NEW YORK | Casino Development| FT| FLOORS

[MAC123]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

It'll be interesting to watch this unfold and compare it to what is being proposed in Chicago.

My bet is it going in an already built building, so if that's true we're not getting anything amazing architecturally from the outside at least (like the Rivers 78 proposal which is great.)

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Kngkyle

It'll be interesting to watch this unfold and compare it to what is being proposed in Chicago.

Maybe, but we keep New York threads focused on New York. There will be casinos opening across the country and elsewhere, but we’re focused on NY. We won’t be comparing anything here.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2021/12/15/water-...ast-river/amp/


Water Club owner wants to get rolling on NYC’s East River with ‘Monte Carlo’ casino


By Carl Campanile and Josh Kosman
December 15, 2021

Manhattan’s East River waterfront is being eyed as a location for a “Monte Carlo”-style casino that would immediately become the world’s “hottest” gambling facility, its promoter says.

The planned East River casino submitted to the state Gaming Commission is the brainchild of Water Club restaurateur Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe and would be located next to the floating eatery off East 30th Street.

At least nine casino operators expressed interest to vie for three downstate casino licenses, according to preliminary outlines submitted to the gaming commission.

It was not clear from O’Keeffe’s proposal who would be his partner to operate the gambling side of things.

The casino would be 24,000 square feet and would have a modest 100-car parking lot.

He said 450 feet of “open deep water pier” could be used to build more gaming facility space or “float in a custom casino.”

O’Keeffe, who also owns the waterfront River Cafe in Brooklyn’s DUMBO, also emphasized high rollers would have accessibility to the casino from the nearby heliport and private ferry service.

River gambling is the way to go, he said.

”New York, The World’s Capital, should have a beautiful and upscale casino (so maybe the next James Bond can play a hand of poker in New York),” he added. “One casino in Manhattan will end up as the hottest casino in the world.”

Among the other casino operators who submitted proposals are MGM Resorts and Genting. MGM owns Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway and Genting runs Resorts World at Aqueduct raceway.

Both operators would be interested in applying for a license to convert their slots parlors into full-fledged casinos.

Others who submitted preliminary proposals: Bally’s, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, UE Resorts which operates the Okada casino in Manila; and Rush Street Gaming, which operates a casino in upstate Schenectady.

[NYguy]

https://nypost.com/2021/12/19/adrien...uct-racetrack/

Speaker-elect Adrienne Adams supports casino expansion at Aqueduct Racetrack

By Carl Campanile and Josh Kosman
December 19, 2021

The next City Council speaker wants to roll the dice.

Queens Councilwoman Adrienne Adams — who secured the votes needed to become the leader of the 51-member legislative body in 2022 — is lobbying the state to award a casino license on her home turf at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park.

The Post last week reported about a proposal to open a “Monte Carlo”-style casino along Manhattan’s East River waterfront near the floating Water Club on 30th Street.

“Resorts World has contributed mightily to New York’s economy, creating jobs for local residents and spurring economic development in the borough of Queens,” Adams — no relation to Mayor-elect Eric Adams — said in the letter to the gaming commission.

Adams noted that Resorts World currently employs more than 1,000 unionized employees in good paying jobs with the vast majority being “people of color” and from Queens. Nearly half the workers are women, she added.

The speaker-elect said Resorts World has been a good community neighbor, donating $2 million to local charities such as Queens Boys & Girls Club and has hosted many community events and health fairs .

A new $400 million hotel, The Hyatt Regency JFK at Resorts World, just opened at Aqueduct.

“Resorts World has been an outstanding partner in our community and has
contributed to the economic and social fabric of our borough,” the speaker-elect representing southern Queens said.

Having Adrienne Adams as a strong ally makes it less likely that the gaming commission will award a casino license near the Mets’ Citi Field ballpark in Willets Point. Genting opposes having a competing casino just a few miles away, sources said.

Civic groups in northeast Queens also oppose having a casino at nearby Willets Point.

Meanwhile politicians in Westchester County sent letters to the gaming commission urging them to award a full casino license to the MGM Resorts’ Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway — including Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Mayor Mike Spano.

[RobEss]

Originally Posted by C.

Would love to see a casino in Manhattan. Forget the prunes inflecting their values on to others. It will be a major tourist draw and would bring in a ton of revenue for the city and State.

Gambling is a loss for everyone but the casino owners. Only marks don't know this.

[C.]

Originally Posted by RobEss

Gambling is a loss for everyone but the casino owners. Only marks don't know this.

You're free not to enter one. Maybe NYS will legalize prostitution too. Now that could be a tourist draw for the Marks and Johns.

[NYguy]

Most people just go into casinos for fun anyway. Most people don’t go in expecting to hit the jackpot.



https://www.qchron.com/editions/quee...60ffd0e5b.html

Casino at Willets Point a possiblity
NYS Gaming Commission sent out requests for information


by Sophie Krichevsky
Dec 23, 2021

….. Among those who responded to the RFI are a variety of local politicians, organizations and businesses, many of whom have expressed discontent with the possibility of a casino on Willets Point.

The path to the current juncture is two-pronged: It is the culmination both of efforts to build a third casino downstate and a continuous push to build in Willets Point.

The possibility of a casino being built in northeast Queens specifically has been seriously discussed as early as January 2021, when it was noted in a Gaming Commission study. Meanwhile, New York Mets owner Steven Cohen is said to have been in conversations with casino and resort company Las Vegas Sands about putting up a gaming center near Citi Field.

When asked for confirmation on that, a senior communications official in the Mets organization said, “No, I can’t, I don’t have any details on that right now.”

Back in 2011, the team’s former owners, the Wilpons family and Saul Katz, also proposed building a casino just west of Citi Field, on land that is legally parkland. Since then, several projects have been proposed in the area, including a soccer stadium, numerous apartments and a shopping mall. In 2017, however, the New York State Court of Appeals ruled that the land could not be used for that kind of development. The Mets have a limited exception to the rule; since 1961, the organization has had a long-term lease of the land from Flushing Meadows Corona Park.

The land in question, then, is that to the east of Citi Field, given that it does not have the same level of protection. Currently, that land is zoned as C4-4, which does not allow for casinos.

To change that would require a Uniform Land Use Review Procedure, which would allow for public hearings on the matter; the decision itself would be left to the City Council — with input from the borough president and affected community boards. Community Board 7 would have jurisdiction.

Such an effort would further be complicated by the fact that 1,100 affordable housing units have been slated to go up there since 2018; the city finally began environmental cleanup earlier this year in preparation.

Councilmember Francisco Moya (D-Corona) is co-chair of the Willets Point Task Force, and has been deeply involved in the effort to build affordable housing there. It’s no surprise, then, that he opposes the potential casino. “We are opposed to anything that could be built that interferes with the two plans approved by the Willets Point task force — including the historic project that will bring the deepest levels of affordability with the 1,100 units of affordable housing,” he said in a prepared statement. “I encourage my colleagues at the state level to ensure that the state doesn’t grant licenses for projects that may impact our most vulnerable families.”

State Sen. John Liu (D-Bayside) was concerned about the “potential displacement” a casino at Willets Point might cause. “[A casino is] a very big ‘if’ at this point,” he said. “It doesn’t seem like Willets Point would be a great place to put a casino.”

Jennifer Shannon, president of the A Better College Point Civic Association, cited traffic congestion as one of several reasons the association opposes a potential casino.

“If [the Mets] have a game at Citi Field, you can’t move. You can’t get off the highway, you’re rerouted. It’s ridiculous,” she said. “You have the U.S. Open, it turns into that. So now we’re going to add a casino into that mix?”

According to Al Centola, president and founding member of We Love Whitestone Civic Association, the possibility of adding ramps off the Van Wyck Expressway has been floated. He does not think that is sufficient.

“None of the ramps that were proposed initially would be able to handle and divert the traffic,” he said.

[Crawford]

Originally Posted by C.

You're free not to enter one. Maybe NYS will legalize prostitution too. Now that could be a tourist draw for the Marks and Johns.

Prostitution should be totally decriminalized, perhaps even legalized. It's legal in Germany, heavily regulated, and the amount of violence and criminality associated with the flesh trade is greatly reduced. Plus it's a major new revenue source. Like pot, might as well profit off something that's less than desirable but impossible to eradicate.

[NYguy]

https://therealdeal.com/2022/01/18/h...-area-casinos/

Hochul seeks to fast-track NYC-area casinos
Budget proposal advances timeline by two years


Jan. 18, 2022
By Kathryn Brenzel

Gov. Kathy Hochul laid her cards on the table Tuesday, calling for New York City to get new casinos earlier than expected.

As part of her proposed budget, the governor called for speeding up authorization for as many as three casinos in or around the city. The state Gaming Commission was poised to issue the licenses after 2023, but Hochul wants it done this year.

When asked by a reporter if the gambling establishments would be in the five boroughs, her budget director, Robert Mujica, said they would be Downstate, but that the plan does not specify locations.

Last year, several developers expressed interest in building a casino in the city. Vornado Realty Trust reportedly pitched one near Herald Square, while L&L Holding Company proposed one at West 47th Street and Broadway. Wynn Resorts, Bally’s, Las Vegas Sands and Hard Rock Cafe all responded to the Gaming Commission’s request for information in December, according to the Times Union.

Those responses do not necessarily mean those companies will submit bids when the time comes. The state still has to issue a request for applications for the licenses.

But first, the legislature needs to agree to Hochul’s acceleration of the timeline. Folding it into the budget allows them to do so without voting separately on casinos, but often legislative leaders as governors to separate such measures from the annual spending plan, which would begin April 1.

[C.]

Vornado Realty Trust reportedly pitched one near Herald Square
L&L Holding Company proposed one at West 47th Street and Broadway

This would be awesome! Not sure where there is space to accommodate a casino, but I like that it will be in the city and not in some distant suburb.

I'm a tad upset that New Jersey did not authorize a Northern Jersey casino a few years back. One was proposed in Jersey City at Liberty State Park (with a 95-storey hotel) and another in the Meadowlands. The idea was to build one before Manhattan. It would have been a huge tourist draw. Now that's a lost cause because no one is going to Jersey to gamble when there is a casino in the heart of Manhattan.

A lot of potential tax dollars and economic revenue for New Jersey lost for New York's benefit due to the dithering and this misguided belief that Atlantic City will make a comeback somehow. With a Manhattan casino, Atlantic City is going to fade away into the Ocean as far as gaming relevancy.

[NYguy]

https://pix11.com/news/local-news/ha...ty-casino/amp/

Hard Rock has 3 potential sites for a New York City casino

Associated Press

The chairperson of the Hard Rock gambling, hospitality and entertainment company says it has three potential sites on which it could build a casino in New York City.

Jim Allen said Thursday in an interview that a Hard Rock casino in New York would cost at least $2 billion. He is not divulging the potential sites but says it will not be its planned half-billion-dollar hotel in Manhattan.

Allen says he expects the site selection process to begin in late summer or early fall.

https://www.fox5ny.com/news/hard-roc...ity-casino.amp

Hard Rock NYC casino sites explored


By WAYNE PARRY

Hard Rock, the global gambling, hospitality and entertainment company, has three potential sites on which it could build a casino in New York City, its chairperson said Thursday.

The company, owned by Florida's Seminole tribe, will open a new $400 million to $500 million hotel in Manhattan in April, and has long operated a Hard Rock Cafe near Times Square that has been a must-see on the tourist circuit. But its plan for a new $2 billion casino in the city would dwarf those investments.

In an interview after he addressed an employee meeting at the Atlantic City casino, Hard Rock chairperson Jim Allen said the company has lined up at least three potential sites in New York for a casino, though he would not identify them. But he did say the soon-to-open 446-room Hard Rock Hotel New York would not be one of them.

”You have to have a footprint of real estate large enough to take advantage of the size of the market," he said. "We're extremely proud of our hotel on 48th Street, but its footprint is just not large enough for gaming. As far as other locations, really we're waiting on the governor and the committee that's going to be sending out the request for proposals to see what language is in the bill as to geographic locations that would be acceptable to the state."

The New York hotel, which is already accepting reservations, will feature a rooftop bar, a 34th-floor penthouse and live music in multiple public spaces. It also will include The Venue on Music Row, an entertainment facility that can hold 400 guests for concerts, fashion shows, after-parties and dinners.

[mrnyc]

^ that's going to turn out way more stucco than monaco.

[C.]

The new Sin City? Gov. Kathy Hochul could FAST TRACK approval for three new casinos in NYC-area aimed at wealthy gamblers within days - including a 'Monaco-style gambling den atop Saks Fifth Avenue'

The governor and Dem leaders are expected to hammer out a deal that could see a casino for high rollers atop the famous shopping location

The deal would allow gaming licenses to be rushed through as part of the state's budget at a price tag of $1billion

Currently, only three of the state's 25 casinos are 'downstate' - one in Queens, one in Yonkers and a third on Long Island

The betting companies have spent about $300,000 a month to try and bring the casinos to Manhattan

The Hotel and Gaming Trades Council, who endorsed Hochul's re-election bid, are also lobbying hard

The union has given over $880,000 in campaign contributions to Democrats in Albany since 2020

Eric Adams' chief of staff Frank Carone recently met with Robert Goldstein, the CEO of Las Vegas Sands. Adams wants at least two of the three licenses to go to New York City

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Manhattan.html

[C.]

New Jersey had a chance at capturing some of the Manhattan gaming market, but politicians wanted to keep the Atlantic City monopoly on life support. Looks like New York is being smart and will capture all that gaming revenue. I don't know who visits Atlantic City to gamble, but I'm thinking one or two casinos in Manhattan is going to cut into their market share.

New York City is the greatest city in the world and that should include being able to legally pay a game of blackjack or Texas Hold'em poker if I'm so inclined to spend my money on that entertainment. That stupid so-called casino in Queens doesn't count.

[NYguy]

This is why there needs to be term limits at all levels. When people stay in positions of power for too long, they start to feel like their personal feelings and opinions are the only things that matter, loyal subjects be damned.


https://www.ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs...nhattan-casino

The longest-serving state legislator is nervous about proposed Manhattan casino


By Joseph Konig Manhattan
Apr. 05, 2022

Manhattan Assemblyman Richard Gottfried is nervous about a proposed casino in Manhattan, a possible inclusion in the delayed state budget still being debated in Albany.

It’s Gottfried’s last budget before retiring after more than 50 years in the Assembly and he’s thinking about the “degrading influence” a casino in Times Square or elsewhere could have on the borough he’s represented since he was 23.

“I’ve felt this way as long as I can remember, is that I generally don’t like casinos and would not want to see one in Manhattan,” Gottfried told Errol Louis on “Inside City Hall” Tuesday. “I’m pretty nervous about the whole topic, but I may well have to get used to being nervous about it because Albany does not do everything exactly the way I want it to.”

“Never has,” added the longest-serving legislator in the state Assembly’s history.

The proposed casino would recieve one of three remaining licenses set aside for downstate.

Still, Gottfried noted, casinos create jobs for the hotel and entertainment sectors, which have suffered during the pandemic. He conceded the legislature could structure the proposed casino in a way he could live with.

“If there’s going to be one in Manhattan, I would do my best to keep it as small and upscale as possible so that it does not have a degrading effect on whatever area it’s in,” Gottfried said.

[MAC123]

Just put it in Times Square. No degradation lmao

[Busy Bee]

the Marriot Marquis has kind of a casino look...

[JMKeynes]

Originally Posted by Busy Bee

the Marriot Marquis has kind of a casino look...

I don't know if their religion would preclude it, but I'd like to see a casino rise on the Qatari's site where the DISGUSTING Manhattan Hotel in Times Square currently festers. This vile piece of excrement defiles an entire block.

[Gantz]

The issue with a Manhattan casino is that to have a good casino you need big floorplates, and that would be a hard site to find in Manhattan. Something in Times Sq or Herald Sq would be fairly small and crappy. Even the current Resorts World in Queens is fairly "meh", even though I hear they are making tons of money.
I am also surprised none of the official proposals are floating Coney Island, I think it would be a great spot there as well.

[Busy Bee]

Originally Posted by Gantz

The issue with a Manhattan casino is that to have a good casino you need big floorplates

Says who? Just because suburban campus casinos are set up like this doesn't mean that a tighter urban casino with plenty of vertical circulation couldn't be just as successful.