New York Casino Board That Will Determine Winners Meets for First Time Since Bidding Ended
Posted on: October 9, 2025, 10:01h.
Last updated on: October 9, 2025, 10:17h.
- The New York Gaming Facility Location Board met for the first time since bidding concluded in June
- Four bids for three downstate New York casino licenses remain
- The Board isn’t obligated to grant all three concessions
The New York Gaming Facility Location Board met for the first time since the state’s bidding for three available downstate casino licenses closed on June 27.
Eight casino proposals for the coveted gaming concessions that come with privileges for Las Vegas-like slot machines, live-dealer table games, and retail sports betting were fielded. The Community Advisory Committee process narrowed the bidding in half, with only four pitches gaining local support.
The five-member Gaming Facility Location Board has the final say on which bids gain licensure. The remaining bids are Bally’s Bronx, MGM Empire City (Westchester), Hard Rock Metropolitan Park (Queens), and Resorts World New York City (Queens).
Each license comes with a one-time fee of $500 million.
Bally’s Bronx at Ferry Point Park is a $4 billion proposal. MGM has pitched a $2.3 billion overhaul of its Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway. Hard Rock and billionaire Steve Cohen plan to invest $8.1 billion at the New York Mets’ Citi Field Ballpark. Resorts World owner Genting has offered a $5.5 billion redevelopment of its video lottery racino at the Aqueduct Raceway near JFK International.
Board Makeup
The New York Gaming Facility Location Board is made up of five individuals with vast experience in finance, city planning, economics, commercial real estate, and executive leadership.
Board members aren’t compensated, though they are entitled to reimbursements for their incurred expenses. The board has rotated continuously throughout its more than decade-long existence, with the fifth member, Cindy Estrada, appointed only 10 days ago.
Estrada, a longtime Bronx resident, has been a small business owner since the age of 19. She currently serves as the executive director of the New York City Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Terryl Brown, appointed in February, is the vice president and general counsel at Pace University. Marion Phillips III and Greg Reimers were named to the board in January.
Phillips is the senior vice president for community development and DEI at US News & World Report. He was previously the senior VP of community relations at New York State’s Empire Development.
Reimers is a retired JPMorgan Chase and The Bank of New York executive.
The board is chaired by Vicki Been, who conceded earlier this year that she’s “never been to a casino.” She added that casinos are “nowhere I want to spend my time.”
Been is the longest-serving board member, with her appointment coming in October 2022. Been is the Judge Edward Weinfeld Professor of Law at New York University School of Law, an affiliated professor of public policy of the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and a faculty director of NYU’s Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy.
Three Licenses Available, Not Guaranteed
During the New York Gaming Facility Location Board’s October 8 meeting, Been said the panel can award up to three casino licenses, but isn’t required to do so.
Been laid out the review process, placing a heavy emphasis on which proposal is best suited to be financed and built promptly, and deciding which bids carry the strongest likelihood to generate significant regional economic benefits.
Been clarified that the board “can” award up to three licenses, but isn’t mandated to “award any” if the panel determines that the applications aren’t adequately developed or wouldn’t accomplish the state’s goals in allowing the creation of the casinos.
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