New York Metropolis Council Inexperienced Lights On line casino Zoning Modifications
In a Thursday vote of 35 to fifteen, the New York Metropolis Council signed off on the “Gaming Facility Textual content Modification,” which might permit for on line casino resorts to be constructed in choose areas of the 5 boroughs.
New York Mayor Adams (D). On Thursday, the Metropolis Council accepted his plan for zoning adjustments to accommodate casinos. (Picture: John Minchillo/Related Press)
That modification was proposed by Mayor Eric Adams (D) final November. Below the adjustments proposed by the Adams Administration, gaming venues could possibly be positioned within the metropolis’s manufacturing districts and inside almost all industrial areas, with no boundaries as to their dimension. The Council voted to approve the mayor’s plan.
At the moment, casinos will not be permitted makes use of inside New York Metropolis zoning,” mentioned Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-District 28), who voted for the measure. “This textual content modification would resolve this zoning battle, whereas sustaining communities’ choice making authority on on line casino licenses throughout the state’s software course of.”
The council vote is seen as doubtlessly expediting what to do date has been a slow-moving course of when it comes to permitting the 9 bidders to formally pitch their plans for 3 downstate on line casino permits. Present consensus states that New York regulators gained’t award these licenses till late 2025, a lot to the dismay of gaming corporations.
New York Metropolis Council Vote Helps, However Hurdles Stay
Whereas the Thursday vote by the New York Metropolis Council is a transfer in the fitting route when it comes to the town realizing its on line casino ambitions, there are nonetheless hurdles to be cleared.
For instance, Bally’s within the Bronx and Steve Cohen and Onerous Rock Worldwide in Queens nonetheless want policymakers to change the parkland designation for the properties on which they’re hoping to assemble built-in resorts. Las Vegas Sands, which is hoping to construct a on line casino lodge on the website of the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, is grappling with litigation introduced by Hofstra College.
Earlier this week, Sands executives expressed disappointment concerning the tempo at which the New York on line casino course of is shifting with CFO Patrick Dumont saying the method lacks readability and has created ample confusion.
All bids for the trio of downstate licenses should be accepted by a Neighborhood Advisory Committee (CAC), which shall be comprised of six appointees by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), Mayor Adams, and policymakers representing the areas through which gaming corporations are contemplating casinos.
Bipartisan Opposition to Adams Plan
Whereas the 35-15 vote signifies the mayor’s proposal made it via the Council with ease, there was bipartisan opposition to it with the pitch decried by each conservatives and progressives.
Council Member Kristy Marmorato (R-Bronx), who represents the world through which Bally’s is hoping to construct a on line casino lodge, mentioned she’s involved that altering zoning legal guidelines for gaming corporations may set a precedent through which different builders try to search out loopholes within the metropolis’s zoning laws.
Kalman Yeger, a average Brooklyn Democrat, who represents Coney Island the place Thor Equities desires to construct a on line casino resort, mentioned that gaming venues close to colleges and the place households reside quantity to “dangerous coverage.”
Of the 51 neighborhood boards in New York Metropolis, 19 opposed the plan accepted by the Council whereas 30 declined to weigh-in on it.
