Since New York approved three downstate casino licenses in 2023, some of the city’s top developers have rushed to unveil grand proposals. Backed by billion-dollar budgets and celebrity partners, many of these bids have added affordable housing, transit upgrades, and public green space to help them stand out. Ahead, find an overview of the eight projects vying for one of the licenses, which will be awarded by the state by the end of the year.
1. The Avenir
Manhattan’s far West Side
First unveiled by Silverstein Properties in June 2023, the $7 billion proposal—dubbed “The Avenir”—would bring a casino complex to Manhattan’s West Side, near the Javits Center. Plans call for a 1,000-room luxury hotel, a food hall, and a gaming facility. To sweeten the proposal, Silverstein recently partnered with MetroLoft to include 500 permanently affordable housing units, replacing an earlier plan for 100 off-site apartments.
Silverstein also recently revealed that Hyatt will be the hospitality partner for the hotel, which will offer suites with high-end finishes, floor-to-ceiling glass windows, and feature full-service restaurants alongside a food hall highlighting local cuisine. Rush Street Gaming, the operator behind Rivers Casino in Schenectady, will oversee the Avenir’s gaming operations.
Designed by CetraRuddy Architecture and Steelman Partners, the latest renderings show a podium with a facade of “gentle harmonious waves,” topped by a sculpted 45-story tower. This new single-tower design replaces the original two-tower plan.
2. The Coney
Coney Island
Could Coney Island get a casino? As the only casino pitch in Brooklyn, “The Coney” comes from a joint development team of Saratoga Casino Holdings, Global Gaming Solutions, Legends, and Thor Equities. The bid includes a 32-story, 500-key hotel tower, a 2,500-seat concert venue, 90,000 square feet of meeting and event space, retail and dining establishments, and public green space, according to Yimby.
The proposed development site is bounded by Surf Avenue to the north, Jones Walk and the Wonder Wheel to the east, and West 15th Street to the west. Developers expect the Coney to generate roughly $1.27 billion in annual economic impact, create about 4,000 temporary union construction jobs, and provide 4,500 permanent positions. The project also includes an on-site resource center to address gambling addiction and ensure proper staff training.
If approved, the development would also establish a $200 million community trust fund to support the surrounding neighborhood. A board of local stakeholders would determine how the funds are used, which could include projects like boardwalk improvements, public safety and beautification, and workforce development, according to a press release.
In June, the City Council approved a rezoning to allow the proposed casino to “demap” a part of Bowery Street and purchase air rights above existing buildings to make way for three high-rise towers and two pedestrian bridges, according to the Brooklyn Paper.
3. Metropolitan Park
Flushing Meadows-Corona Park
Proposed by New York Mets’ owner Steve Cohen, the $8 billion Metropolitan Park project would transform 50 acres of parking lots next to Citi Field into a sprawling sports and entertainment complex. Anchored by a Hard Rock-run casino, the plan includes a hotel, live music venue, restaurants, a “Taste of Queens” food hall, 20 acres of public green space, and a renovated Mets–Willets Point subway station.
The 20 acres of new public park space and five acres of community athletic fields and playgrounds would bring “more new parkland than Bryant Park, the High Line, and Union Square Park combined,” as 6sqft previously reported. Its design would also honor the history and architecture of the World’s Fair in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and the NY Mets.
In March, the City Council voted 41-2 in favor of zoning changes for the project, marking a key milestone in the approval process. All six community boards within the project have already approved the plan.
The following month, Cohen strengthened his bid by adding 450 off-site affordable housing units. Queens Future LLC, a joint venture between Cohen, Hard Rock International, and Slate Property Group, announced plans for a 100 percent affordable building on a parking lot at 54-19 100th Street in Corona.
4. Resorts World NYC
Jamaica, Queens
As the only casino operating in the five boroughs, Resorts World New York City is seeking a full casino license to expand into a full-scale gaming facility. If it receives a license, parent company Genting says it will invest $5 billion to revamp the Jamaica casino with Las Vegas-style slot machines, live dealer table games, and sports betting. The casino currently features slot-like video lottery terminals and electronic table games.
In its latest iteration, the proposal includes an expanded casino, 1,600 new hotel rooms, 30 new restaurants and drinking concepts, a 7,000-seat concert venue, and an “innovation campus” featuring a sports academy for high school athletes, all located at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park and Jamaica. It also includes 3,000 units of affordable employee housing. The bid has the backing of hip-hop legend Nas.
5. Caesars Palace Times Square
Times Square
One of the earliest contenders in the race for a gaming license wants to transform an office tower in one of the city’s biggest tourist destinations into a casino complex. The proposed Caesars Palace Times Square has drawn high-profile support from New York natives Jay-Z and, most recently, Al Sharpton. Unveiled in December 2022 by developer SL Green, the project centers on a Caesars-operated casino inside a redeveloped 54-story office tower at 1515 Broadway.
The project would also include a 992-room five-star hotel, wellness center, casino floors, and theater space for “The Lion King,” along with a wide array of dining and entertainment options. Jay-Z and his agency Roc Nation would oversee site-wide programming, which is projected to generate $166 million in new retail spending and $65 million in annual Broadway ticket sales, as 6sqft previously reported.
6. Bally’s Bronx
Ferry Point Park
Proposed for a Bronx golf course once owned by Donald Trump, Bally’s Bronx casino bid would bring a 500,000-square-foot gaming hall to Ferry Point Park in Throggs Neck. The plan also includes a 500-room hotel with a spa and meeting space, retail shops, a 2,000-seat event center, and two parking garages with space for up to 4,660 vehicles.
In September 2023, Bally’s purchased the operating license to the former Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point for $60 million, securing control of the site after the city’s attempt to take over the golf course from the Trump Organization failed. Shortly after, the company removed the massive Trump sign that had greeted drivers exiting the Whitestone Bridge, in hopes that it would strengthen its bid for a gaming license.
In June, the City Council voted 32-12 to pass a home rule resolution that allows state lawmakers to advance legislation supporting Bally’s proposed casino. The approval authorizes the state to “alienate” the roughly 16-acre public parkland, a requirement whenever city-owned park space is repurposed for private use.
7. Freedom Plaza
Midtown East
The Soloviev Group’s expansive Freedom Plaza project would rise on a six-acre lot next to the United Nations headquarters in Midtown East. The bid includes a subterranean casino operated by Mohegan, a museum, two residential towers with 1,000 new apartments, including roughly 500 of which would be permanently affordable, and a 5-acre public park designed by OJB Landscape Architects.
First unveiled in February 2023, the Bjarke Ingels-designed proposal originally included a giant Ferris wheel, but the idea was scrapped and replaced with the affordable housing component. Renderings of the waterfront green area were revealed in March, illustrating its planned 18,000-square-foot central lawn, 1.2 miles of accessible pathways, children’s play area, amphitheater, and scenic overlooks.
The park would also house the spiral-shaped Museum of Freedom and Democracy, which would showcase artwork by international artists, large-scale experiential installations, and historical artifacts, including slabs from the Berlin Wall, as 6sqft previously reported.
8. MGM Empire City
Yonkers
In Yonkers, another pre-existing gaming facility, MGM Empire City, wants a casino license to fully renovate and expand its location, with plans for a high-limit lounge and new, state-of-the-art BetMGM Sportsbook offering retail sports betting. MGM Resorts’ bid also envisions the creation of an additional, 5,000-person maximum capacity dynamic entertainment venue and adjacent meeting space, which would host A-list talent and local performers and provide flexibility to accommodate special events such as local graduations and other community needs.
Three new full-service restaurants would be added to the complex’s food offerings, as well as the renovation of existing food and beverage vendors, each offering elevated, high-concept dining options for guests. A new parking garage with solar energy and electric-vehicle parking spaces would demonstrate MGM’s commitment to sustainability. If it receives a license, MGM expects to have the new casino operational by mid-2029.
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