Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen emerges as one of top bidders for new NY casino heres who else has the best odds
Place your bets!Billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen’s bid to open an $8 billion casino complex next to his team’s Citi Field ballpark could be a winning one.His odds of snagging one of the coveted state gaming licenses went up — along with those of the Aqueduct Racetrack and Yonkers Raceway slot parlors — after two of the other casino proposals on the table went bust.“Steve Cohen’s proposal is the strongest contender — by a pretty large margin,” said John Sabini, former chairman of the New York State Racing and Wagering Board, the precursor to the current gaming commission.On Wednesday, two Manhattan state siting boards rejected two of the proposals after fierce neighborhood opposition: One from the partnership Caesars/Jay-Z-Roc Nation and SL Green for a casino in Times Square, and the other by Silverstein Properties on the Far West Side, near Hudson Yards.In the aftermath, Cohen’s “Metropolitan Park” proposal with Hard Rock emerged as a top contender — along with Genting Resorts World at Aqueduct and MGM Empire City at Yonkers, two existing slot parlors vying for the right to offer live table games, such as craps, blackjack, poker and baccarat.Both of the “racinos,” have been in business for two decades and have a strong record with gaming regulators and generating millions of dollars in revenue for the state over the years, Sabini noted.“Yonkers MGM and Genting Resorts World are the top contenders — easily,” he told The Post.“They can open quickly.
They’ve been prepared for some time.”Because it’s been operating for years, the Genting Resorts World has not been met with the neighborhood backlash other bidders have faced, said Queens state Sen.Joe Addabbo, whose district borders the site.“Resorts World has been a good neighbor,” said Addabbo, noting the facility was used as a COVID vaccination site and management and employees helped neighbors recover from Superstorm Sandy.Still, “Nothing should be taken for granted...