Manhattan casino plan nixed after board closes door — but gambling facility may still come to NYC
Manhattan was a losing bet for casinos.
A state board nixed a plan to build a casino near the East River in Manhattan on Monday — knocking down the final existing bid for legal gambling in the borough.
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Four out of six members of the community advisory group voted against the Soloviev Group-Mohegan Sun’s proposed “Freedom Plaza” casino complex in Midtown East on First Avenue, as the plan faced intense neighborhood opposition.
Approval from the local advisory group is needed to enter the next step in a fierce competition to get one of up to three downstate casino licenses from the state Gaming Commission. Plans that get the advisory group OK would still be vetted by a statewide facility location board.
Only board members representing Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams supported the plan.
The move to block the Freedom Plaza effectively ends the possibility of a casino in Manhattan for the foreseeable future, just days after proposed casino bids for Times Square and the Far West Side were also rejected, unable to overcome fierce “not in my backyard” opposition.
Meanwhile, a Coney Island casino bid — from a partnership that includes Thor Equities, Chickasaw Nation’s Global Gaming Solutions, Saratoga Casino Holdings and Legends Hospitality Group — is likely next to get voted down.
Three Brooklyn elected officials — Borough President Antonio Reynoso, state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton, and Councilman Justin Brannan — issued statements Monday opposing the project.
A fourth, Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, is also opposed to the project. All four elected officials have representatives on the advisory board who are expected to oppose “The Coney.”
“The Coney has failed to prove itself as a public good and will not improve conditions for the Brooklynites who call Coney Island home,” Reynoso said.
Votes will also soon take place on casino bids pitched by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock near Citi Field in Queens and Bally’s at the former Trump golf course in the Bronx.
Genting Resorts World by Aqueduct racetrack and MGM Empire City in Yonkers also have bids to offer live table games at their existing slots parlors, or also called “racinos.” They will be voted on Thursday.
The votes by all the local siting boards must take place by Sept. 30.
The state Gaming Commission is expecting to decide on the licenses by year’s end.
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