With New York’s upstate casinos struggling, some state officials are considering the once unthinkable: putting casinos in New York City itself, The New York Times reported. Representatives from major gaming companies have been meeting with lawmakers to push a proposal to open as many as three full-fledged casinos in the New York City area. They say that such a move could provide the state hundreds of millions of dollars each year in new revenue and create thousands of new jobs, an argument that has been given extra heft by the collapse of the Amazon deal in Queens, and the ongoing effort to find a financial cure for the city’s decrepit subways. Under one proposal, Aqueduct Raceway on the Queens border with Long Island and Yonkers Raceway would be converted from so-called “racinos” into full gaming operations. In another, the state would open bidding for up to three casino licenses, clearing the way for a new gambling hub to be built elsewhere in New York City, likely outside of Manhattan. The chairmen of the Assembly and Senate gaming committees have thrown their support behind the idea of bringing gaming to New York City. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo has not closed the door altogether, but he has expressed deep skepticism about an accelerated plan to expand gambling in the state. The companies have proposed paying upstate casino operators about $100 million to counteract the loss of exclusivity — New York had agreed not to issue any more casino licenses until 2023. The three companies also have expressed a willingness to pay the state at least $500 million each to operate in the downstate market. The upstate casinos are seemingly on board with the expansion plan, but it still faces an uphill slope in Albany, particularly among liberal Democrats in the State Assembly who view gaming as a regressive tax. There is also external pressure from neighboring states, as New Jersey continues to embrace and expand betting, and intrastate support.
