The greater New York City area will soon have up to three new casinos. The state has authorized three new casino licenses to be issued in Downstate New York by Dec. 31, 2025. Eight NYC-area applicants met the June 27th application deadline and are the finalists in the selection process now underway.
Two successful casino tribes have joined with financial partners to bid for three of the new casino licenses to be issued. These tribes are the CHICKASAW NATION of Oklahoma, which owns and operates the world's largest casino, the WinStar World Casino and Resort, and the SEMINOLE TRIBE of Florida, which owns Hard Rock International.
A third tribe, the MOHEGAN TRIBE of Connecticut, which owns and operates the Mohegan Sun and three other casino resorts, failed in a bid for a casino at Freedom Plaza in Manhattan.
CHICKASAW NATION
The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma has partnered with Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Hotel, and Legends Hospitality Group to propose a $3.4 billion casino complex next to the Coney Island amusement park. The Chickasaw Nation owns the largest casino in the world, the Winstar World Casino and Resort, located in Oklahoma on the Texas border.
See Coney Casino Proposal.
SEMINOLE TRIBE
The Seminole Tribe of Florida, which owns Hard Rock International, has partnered with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to propose an $8 billion Hard Rock casino complex next to Citi Field in Queens. If licensed, Hard Rock would brand and manage the property.
See Hard Rock Casino Metropolitan Park Proposal.
MOHEGAN TRIBE
The Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut partnered with Soloviev Group, a development company, to propose an $11 billion underground casino at Freedom Center between East 38th and 41st Streets on the East Side of Manhattan. The bid was rejected September 22, 2025 by the Community Advisory Commitee. The proposal is rendered closed.
See Freedom Plaza Casino Proposal.
There are currently two state-licensed casinos operating at racetracks (racinos) in the greater NYC area. Resorts World New York City is located adjacent to Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. It operates 5,800 video lottery terminals (VLTs) and electronic table games (ETGs). The other casino is Empire City Casino located at Yonkers Raceway north of the Bronx. Empire City operates 4,600 VLT and ETG machines.
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Hard Rock Metropolitan Park Approved Unanimously by Committee September 30, 2025 - The $8B Hard Rock proposal at Metropolitan Park was approved unanimously today by the community advisory committee. The bid will now be forwarded ... Read more 
No Coney Casino | Chickasaw Proposal Rejected September 29, 2025 - The Coney casino proposed for Coney Island will never be. The plan by Thor Equities and the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma was officially rejected today by the Community Advisory Committee. ... Read more 
No Manhattan Casino | Mohegan Proposal Rejected September 22, 2025 - The Mohegan Tribe's casino proposal at Freedom Plaza was rejected today by the community advisory committee. The result leaves Manhattan without a casino ... Read more 
NYC Freedom Plaza Casino Odds | Mohegan Tribe September 20, 2025 - The proposed Freedom Plaza Casino is now the only surviving bid for a Manhattan cassino after Wednesday's rejections of the Avenir and Caesars Palace ... Read more 
Three Tribes Seek NYC Casino Licenses September 17, 2025 - The gaming and hospitality subsidiaries owned by the Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma, the Mohegan Tribe of Connecticut, and the Seminole Tribe of Florida are seeking ... Read more More Headlines ...Empire City Casino
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Resorts World Casino
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Three new casino licenses will be issued in December for three new casinos in downstate New York. There are currently eight qualified casino applicants that filed casino proposals before the final deadline of June 27, 2025. The application and selection process for these casino licenses are underway. Here are the steps that will be followed for selecting the applicants:
Selection Process and Timeline
Application Submission - Deadline June 27, 2025
Applications required detailed plans, zoning approvals, environmental studies, and community impact plans.
Community Advisory Committees (CACs) - Vote by September 30, 2025
The CACs were formed immediately after the June 27th deadline. CAC members will be appointed by local and state officials to hold public meetings and vote on casino proposals before the deadline.
New York State Gaming Review Final Decisions by December 1, 2025
The Gaming Facility Location Board will review and select the winning applicants before the deadline
Casino License Issuance - Deadline December 31, 2025
The New York State Gaming Commission will issue the new licenses before end of year. The winning applicants will pay a fee of $500 million for each license.
The deadline to submit a formal application for one of the three new casino licenses ended on June 27, 2025. Eight applications were successfully submitted prior to the deadline.
The following is a list of the casino applicants wer under consideration as of Sept. 1, 2025. The list is sorted by geographical areas: Manhattan, Queens, Bronx, Brooklyn and Westchester county.
MANHATTAN
Avenir
Location: Far West Side, NYC
Cost: $7 billion
Applicant: Silverstein, Rush Street, Greenwood Gaming
Hotel, casino, restaurants near Javits5,000 jobs, local partnerships Competing Times Square bid, Manhattan saturation
Caesars Palace Times Sq
Location: Times Square, NYC
Cost: $5.4 billion
Applicant: Caesars, SL Green, Roc Nation
Casino/hotel in 1515 Broadway, entertainment complex Cost: $250M in benefits, safety funding, equity to localsStrong Broadway opposition
Freedom Plaza
Location: Midtown East, NYC
Cost: $11.1 billion
Applicant: Mohegan Tribe, Soloviev Group
Underground casino, 1,325 residences, 500 affordable units, 5-acre public park, museum, 2% profit to community
QUEENS
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Metropolitan Park
Location: Flushing, Queens
Cost: $8 billion
Applicant: Steve Cohen, Hard Rock
Casino near Citi Field, music venue, 25-acre park Cost: $2.75B in transit & community benefits Parkland alienation concerns now mostly resolved
Resorts World NYC
Location: Aqueduct, Queens
Cost: $5.5 billion
Applicant: Genting Group
Expand racino to full casino, large hotel, concert venue3,000 homes, green space, local supportAlready licensed, but still needs full approval
BRONX
Bally's Bronx
Location: Bronx (Ferry Point)
Cost: $4 billion
Applicant: Bally's Corporation
Casino on ex-Trump golf course, 500-room hotelCost: $625M in benefits, new parklandTrump affiliation scrutiny
BROOKLYN
Coney Island Casino
Location: Brooklyn
Cost: $3 billion
Applicant: Thor Equities, Chickasaw Nation, Saratoga
Beachfront casino, hotel, ridesJob creation, tourism boost Traffic, gentrification fears
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Empire City
Location: Yonkers
Cost: $2.3 billion
Applicant: MGM Resorts
Upgrade racino, sportsbook, entertainment districtBetMGM Sportsbook, green infrastructureCompetes just outside NYC limits
September 22, 2025
The Mohegan Tribe's casino proposal at Freedom Plaza was rejected today by the community advisory committee (CAC). The final vote was 4-2 against. The result leaves Manhattan without a casino as two competing bidders were also rejected by committee votes last week. Those proposals were for Times Square and Hudson Yards.
The New York State Gaming Commission will issue three new casino licenses in downstate New York at the end of this year. There were originally eight finalists after the June 27th application deadline. There are now only five finalists after the three rejections of the Manhattan bids.
The five active finalists for the three downstate licenses are the following:
QUEENS
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Metropolitan Park
Location: Flushing, Queens
Cost: $8 billion
Applicant: Steve Cohen, Hard Rock (Seminole Tribe)
Resorts World NYC
Location: Aqueduct, Queens
Cost: $5.5 billion
Applicant: Genting Group
BRONX
Bally's Bronx
Location: Bronx (Ferry Point)
Cost: $4 billion
Applicant: Bally's Corporation
BROOKLYN
Coney Island Casino
Location: Brooklyn
Cost: $3 billion
Applicant: Thor Equities, Chickasaw Nation, Saratoga
WESTCHESTER COUNTY
Empire City
Location: Yonkers
Cost: $2.3 billion
Applicant: MGM Resorts
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June 29, 2025
Three new casinos will be licensed in the New York City area by the end of this year. The deadline for submitting a qualified casino application was Friday June 27th. Eight casino applicants beat the deadline.
[ No Ads ]8 contenders vying for 3 downstate New York casino licenses - Courtesy of CBS New York, Jun 27, 2025. Available from YouTube
Favored Applicants
The applicant odds of winning one of the three licenses was calculated and published by Crains New York. Here is the favored rankings for each casino applications:
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Chickasaw Nation Applies for New York City Casino September 6, 2025 - The Chickasaw Nation has partnered with Thor Equities and Saratoga Casino to develop a plan for a $3.4 billion casino complex next to Coney Island ... Read more 
Seminole Tribe's Hard Rock Bids on NYC Casino July 26, 2025 - Hard Rock International partnered with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen last March on a proposed $8 billion casino project next to Citi Field in Queens. Hard Rock is owned by ... Read more 
Chickasaw Nation bids on Coney Island casino July 14, 2025 - The Chickasaw Nation of Oklahoma is seeking an ownership share and the operational role for a $3.4 billion casino proposal for Coney Island. The casino named "The Coney" ... Read more 
8 NYC casino applications meet 6/27 deadline June 29, 2025 - Three new casinos will be licensed in the New York City area by the end of this year. The deadline for submitting a qualified casino application was Friday June 27th ... Read more Coney Island casino proposal hears strong support, opposition September 2, 2025 - The first of two public hearings for a proposed $3 billion casino and resort dubbed "The Coney" was held last week at the Coney Island YMCA ... Read more
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