Two entrants in the free-for-all battle for casino licenses in New York advanced past local committees on Thursday, becoming the first to clear a critical hurdle after every proposal in Manhattan failed to do so.
The proposals — from Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts in Yonkers, just north of New York City, and Resorts World at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens — received unanimous approval from separate panels, known as community advisory committees.
Both Resorts World and Empire City Casino, which operates alongside Yonkers Raceway, have been considered the front-runners for full casino licenses — there are up to three available in the state — because they already offer some gambling.
The casino bids will next be voted on in December by the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board and then its Gaming Commission. Four other applicants are also still in the running, including some that have faced intense opposition from residents.
Unlike the three unsuccessful Manhattan bids, the Yonkers and Queens proposals received full-throated recommendations from the five-member committees, which take into consideration local support for a project.
The members of the committee weighing the Resorts World bid praised the project, saying that its proposed $5.5 billion expansion would create thousands of jobs. Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato, the chairwoman of the group, said it would have a positive economic impact for generations.
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The post Yonkers and Queens Casino Bids Advance in Battle for N.Y. Licenses appeared first on New York Times.
