New York Casino Licensing Process Remains on Schedule, Other Reports ‘Wholly Inaccurate’
Posted on: August 28, 2025, 12:33h.
Last updated on: August 28, 2025, 01:19h.
UPDATE: This article has been edited to correct errors that reported the downstate NY casino licenses might not be awarded until January 2026.
- New York casino licenses for the downstate region are to be issued before the year’s end
- A false report surfaced this week that a delay was possible
- Eight casino bids are seeking one of the three available licenses
More than a decade after the coveted downstate casino licenses earmarked for New York City’s five boroughs, Long Island, and Westchester County were authorized through state legislation, and two years removed from the end of the 10-year moratorium on the licenses being issued, the odds are good that the three permits will be awarded before the year’s end as planned. That’s despite a recent false report claiming otherwise.
A report surfaced this week regarding state Sen. Joseph Addabbo (D), a longtime supporter of gaming in the Empire State who voted in favor of the 2013 casino bill, reportedly telling an online gaming affiliate site that the downstate licenses could be delayed into 2026. Casino.org initially reported on that news and sought confirmation from Addabbo’s office. The senator later confirmed that the report was “inaccurate.”
The New York Gaming Facility Location Board added to Casino.org that the news report was “wholly inaccurate.” The initial report was subsequently retracted, and prompted our edit of this article.
The New York Gaming Facility Location Board plans to announce the winners by Dec. 1, 2025, as scheduled. The licenses are to be fully awarded by December 31, once each winning bid pays its $500 million fee to the state. Pressed as to whether the GFLB remains on track for its December deadlines, the state official said, “Yes, GFLB is still on track for Dec. 1.”
Before the five-member state board, which remains a member short, can vote on which bids win licenses, the respective project must secure a two-thirds majority support from its Community Advisory Committee (CAC). Each of the eight CACs is required to vote on its casino presentation by September 30.
There remain eight applicants — The Avenir (11th Ave & 41st St., Manhattan), Bally’s Bronx (Ferry Point, Bronx), Caesars Palace Times Square (1515 Broadway, Manhattan), The Coney (Coney Island, Brooklyn), Freedom Plaza (686 1st Ave., Manhattan), MGM Empire City (Empire City Casino, Yonkers), Metropolitan Park (Willets Point, Queens), and Resorts World New York City (Aqueduct Racetrack, Queens).
New York’s 2013 gaming statute authorized four upstate New York casinos and three downstate. The upstate gaming market was provided a 10-year exclusivity on commercial slot machines and live-dealer table games, a condition designed to spur interest for the casino concessions and provide an economic jumpstart for the region. The moratorium expired in February 2023.
State Timeline
The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board’s website was recently updated to include the eight bids. The website maintains that the “Board expects to make decisions by Dec. 1, 2025, followed by Commission licensure by Dec. 31, 2025.”
The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board had agreed to those dates during its June 27, 2024, meeting.
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