Carl Heastie, staff scored $14K in free Celtics tickets from gaming giant before it won massive NY tax break

He “gamed” the system.Sports-obsessed Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and his staffers were treated to thousands of dollars in luxury Boston Celtics tickets by a gambling company — that later scored a projected $18 million in state tax breaks, an investigation reveals.Heastie (D-Bronx) and staffers earlier this year were given nearly $14,000 in high-end suite tickets by Delaware North, a gaming and hospitality firm that owns the Boston arena where the team plays, New York Focus reported.Less than three months after the courtside freebie, the company — which had been lobbying Heastie — won a tax break in the state’s annual budget, which the top state Democrat plays a powerful role in shaping.“It looks corrupt,” said David Grandeau, a lawyer who served as New York’s top lobbying regulator.“At best, it’s just business as usual.

At worst, it’s a bribe.”The powerful, Bronx-born pol — who inexplicably prefers to root for the New York Knicks’ biggest rival — cheered on the Celtics with at least four staffers in a luxury suite at TD Garden in March.“Team Heastie road trip to the Boston Gahden!” he posted on Instagram at the time.The tickets, valued at $13,800, had been given to them by Delaware North, according to the report.And it wasn’t the first time.Heastie scored similarly plum free suite tickets to Celtics games from Delaware North last year and in 2024 — when he was even photographed with three retired NBA stars, including Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins.The multibillion dollar, Buffalo-based gambling giant is a registered lobbying client, which would usually prevent it from donating more than $15.But to get around potential political foul play, it donated the suites to the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee — a fund Heastie helps lead, meaning the perk didn’t count as a gift under state ethics rules.In the weeks after the March game, Delaware North’s lobbyists met with Heastie to discuss the hefty tax rate paid by s...