It’s recently emerged that Mets owner Steve Cohen has entered into discussions with Las Vegas Sands
Corporation about the potential for a new casino complex adjacent to Citi Field in Flushing. The 99-year
lease granted on the stadium also includes lots surrounding it, which would presumably be part of any
proposed site. There have been reports of multiple casino operators including Genting, Wynn and Bally’s
amongst them, scouting potential locations around the Nassau County portion of Belmont Park and in the
St. George area of Staten Island. However the news that Cohen is in preliminary talks with LVS marks
the first occurrence of a site’s owner being reciprocative. With potentially three downstate licenses up for
grabs, there may be some inevitability that the city will see casino gaming in the near future. But is
Queens the right fit?
It’s hard to say whether Cohen’s plans will be given a shot in the arm by the upcoming Mayor Eric
Adams. Many news outlets have recently gone back over the events of 2010 when his time as a State
Senator led to controversy around his handling of video slot machines being allowed at Aqueduct
Racetrack. It may be that Adams wishes to steer as far from gambling as he humanly can. It may not,
given he’ll have it thrust upon him anyway with former Governor Cuomo’s bill legalizing online sports
betting having passed in April this year. Six groups – including heavyweights like FanDuel, Caesar’s and
Bet 365 – are in the race to get two licenses. The State Gambling Commission is being tipped to decide
which bids move forward by the turn of the year and a lot of smart money is going on online sports
betting launching sometime round the end of January/February 2022 to coincide with Super Bowl 56.
New Governor Kathy Hochul hasn’t commented on said plans, and given her husband’s position as a
Senior VP at casino operators Delaware North, maybe she won’t – anything she did say would be subject
to excruciating levels of scrutiny for that reason.
On that tip, with online sports betting on the cusp of happening in NYC, is there any need for a
sportsbook in a Queens casino? With the Supreme Court striking down the sports betting ban in 2018, it
seems only a matter of time before there’s courtside oddsmakers at Citi Field and the Billie Jean King
National Tennis Center, and the NBA has been proactive in preparing for the eventuality of full sports
betting for quite some time. While only a few states have online poker for cash stakes, anyone can play
for virtual stakes. Pennsylvania and New Jersey have both legalized online poker with success and little
controversy. We’re well aware that the technology moves faster than the lawmakers, but how long will
NYC take people using VPNs and not getting their own cut? In this day and age, live casinos are
increasingly being overtaken and obsoleted by online play. If the younger generations were into casinos,
Atlantic City wouldn’t be in the shape it’s in.
Which begs the question: Who would this casino actually be for? The folks in Manhattan have
successfully lobbied for the third (and final) downstate license to be kept out of their neighborhoods for
long enough. Chicago is currently going through the same snafu with there being 5 proposed sites for
their new city casino – do they want it in an economically disadvantaged area or downtown or somewhere
else? Nobody will deny bringing more tourist dollars into Queens is a good thing. But the key is keeping those dollars local.
Small businesses are the lifeblood of the borough, and they’ve been hit hard over the
pandemic. No doubt any casino would have multiple bars and restaurants to further stretch the breaking points of
taverns, diners and your local favorite joint. Sucking up tourist and/or local revenue into a casino isn’t
going to help Queens. Do we want lounge singers or do we want a local music scene? Queens needs
entertainers, and it needs to have spaces to showcase them. It’s all part of the fabric of your neighborhood.
It’s all part of the fabric of your borough. It’s all part of the fabric of your city. And if Manhattan doesn’t
want it, why should Queens? NYC doesn’t need Steve Cohen’s Queens Casino.