NY Licenses for Bally’s, Metropolitan Park, and Resorts World Will Be Granted Monday

Posted on: December 12, 2025, 12:30h. 

Last updated on: December 12, 2025, 12:31h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.
  • Three downstate New York casinos will likely be formally approved on Dec. 15
  • Two casinos are in Queens and a third is in the Bronx

The three downstate New York casino applications approved Dec. 1 by the State Gaming Facility Location Board will likely receive their full gaming privileges on Monday.

New York casino licenses downstate
A New York City Subway car on the 7 Line travels east towards the Mets-Willets Point station in Queens, where a multibillion-dollar casino complex is presumably coming. The three downstate New York gaming licenses are expected to be issued on Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. (Image: Shutterstock)

The New York State Gaming Commission will meet for the final time in 2025 on Monday, Dec. 15, at 1 pm. The meeting is to take place at the Robert F. Smith Center for the Performing Arts at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in Manhattan.

During the meeting, which is open to the public on a first-come, first-seated basis, the gaming agency is expected to first adopt a rule change related to the “License Duration and Renewal Period for Newly Licensed Gaming Facilities.”

The proposal prescribes that an applicant investing at least $1.5 billion but less than $5 billion receive an initial license for 15 years. The concession’s duration extends to 20 years with an investment of more than $5 billion, and to 30 years should costs exceed $10 billion.

Next on the agenda, the Gaming Commission is to consider the licensing of the three downstate applicants recommended for approval by the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board. With statute mandating that the licenses be granted before the end of the year, it’s all but certain that Bally’s Bronx, Metropolitan Park, and Resorts World will receive their slots, table games, and sports betting concessions.

NYC Casino Bids 

The Gaming Facility Location Board was tasked with determining which three downstate New York casino bids would best satisfy the state’s gaming statute that required the facilities to generate tax revenue, jobs, and generally improve the downstate New York economy. The Board was unburdened after the bidding pool narrowed from more than a dozen initial projects to only three bids qualifying for recommendation.

The Board ultimately signed off on the three applications that garnered Community Advisory Committee support.

  • Bally’s Bronx is a $4 billion investment, inclusive of its licensing fees and community pledges, plus a one-time $115 million payment to The Trump Organization. The company says a total capital investment of approximately $2.3 billion will be used to create a casino resort at city-owned Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx.

Bally’s has proposed a 507-room hotel and a casino with 3,500 slot machines, 250 table games, a sportsbook, and a 2,000-seat event center. The $4 billion project means Bally’s will presumably receive an initial gaming license for 15 years.

  • Metropolitan Park is an $8 billion scheme, inclusive of upfront fees and financial assurances. Hard Rock International and billionaire Steve Cohen say a $5.3 billion capital investment will bring two hotels with 1,000 rooms to the parking lot located adjacent to Citi Field. A casino will feature 5,000 slots, 405 tables, and a sportsbook. A 5,650-seat Hard Rock Live theater is among the bid’s developments.
  • Further south in Queens, Resorts World parent Genting is behind a $5.5 billion overhaul of its racino facility near JFK International. A capital investment of $3.3 billion is set to overhaul and expand the current hotel into a 1,963-room destination. The casino is to have 4,635 slots, 534 tables, and a sportsbook. A 7,000-seat event center is also planned.

Genting Lone Worry

Though Genting gained recommendation from the Gaming Facility Location Board, the state agency noted that the company failed to disclose “violations resulting in fines at Resorts Catskills, Resorts World Hudson Valley, and its current video lottery gaming facility at Aqueduct (in Queens).”

The Board also said Genting’s reporting of its $10.5 million fine in Las Vegas for failing to uphold anti-money laundering regulations mandated in the State of Nevada was made “without providing details.”

“The Board views this lack of transparency as concerning and recommends that the Commission weigh this in its licensing evaluation,” the Board concluded.