Mets proprietor Steve Cohen’s plan to construct an $8 billion on line casino advanced subsequent to Citi Field acquired a giant enhance. A Queens lawmaker is now backing the laws, giving it some additional legitimacy.
However New York State Sen. John Liu launched a invoice to redesignate the parking lots across the stadium for business use. It’s a obligatory step for regulators to provide Cohen the license, and in the end for builders to interrupt floor on the mission.
“Because the parking lot is legally parkland, they require state legislation that would allow a gaming facility to be built on that parkland in order to proceed with their application to the state gaming,” Liu mentioned on the invoice introduction.
Cohen’s aspirations of a on line casino adjoining to Citi Field was within the works since 2023, the state introduced they have been awarding three gaming licenses for downstate casinos. The billionaire put forth a number of proposals for one over the past two years.
Cohen hopes he can use the Flushing Skypark mission to propel his bid to the highest of the heap. The mission intends to construct a Manhattan High Line-inspired pedestrian and bike bridge from Downtown Flushing to Citi Field.
This would in fact, be an amazing profit to a possible on line casino in between the locations. Additionally, the land is extra prone to be redesignated for the reason that state is already planning development.
But it’s all nonetheless up within the air as Empire State regulators have but to decide on the downstate license recipients. The two racinos, owned by Genting and MGM Resorts, in Queens and Yonkers are prone to snatch up two of these licenses, leaving a number of bidders for the ultimate one.
Uncertainty hasn’t slowed down Cohen. He launched renderings of the on line casino mission final September and continued to foyer for the on line casino in March. Cohen partnered with the Seminole Tribe, below their Hard Rock International company umbrella, for his proposal dubbed Metropolitan Park.
This can be the tribe’s first footprint within the Empire State.
Liu’s proposal should move the meeting and state earlier than getting signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The proposal additionally faces stiff opposition.
Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the district the on line casino would name dwelling, opposed the thought from the beginning. She advised the New York Post that her constituents oppose the mission.
This bid and every other on line casino bid should submit their purposes to the sitting native boards by June 27. The state gaming fee will award as much as three on line casino licenses by the top of December.
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