New York City is moving forward with three large-scale hotel casino developments after the New York State Gaming Commission approved the winning bids earlier this week, marking a major milestone in the city’s long-running casino selection process.
The approvals, announced following a Monday vote, clear the way for casino resorts backed by Hard Rock International, Genting Group’s Resorts World, and Bally’s Corporation. While no construction timelines were disclosed, the projects are expected to reshape large sections of Queens and the Bronx with multibillion-dollar investments.
In Flushing, Queens, Hard Rock International and New York Mets owner Steve Cohen will develop Metropolitan Park, a casino resort complex planned for a 50-acre site surrounding Citi Field. Also in Queens, Resorts World New York City, owned by the Genting Group, will expand its existing slot-machine facility near Aqueduct Racetrack into a 72-acre integrated resort in South Ozone Park. In the Bronx, Bally’s Corporation will construct a 3 million-square-foot resort at Ferry Point.
The vote concludes a multi-year review process that saw numerous proposals fall short, including a scrapped casino plan in Brooklyn’s Coney Island and several bids in Manhattan that were either withdrawn or denied after failing to secure sufficient community backing.
According to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, the approved proposals stood out for their local support and economic impact. The three projects “had local support, clear community benefits and sustainable economic plans,” Hochul said in a statement, adding that the developments would “generate billions of dollars for the MTA and education, create tens of thousands of jobs and deliver real benefits to their surrounding communities.”
The $8.1 billion Metropolitan Park project will feature a Hard Rock hotel, casino and sportsbook, along with restaurants, bars, retail space, meeting and event facilities, and a 5,650-seat theater-style venue, according to a project release. The development will also include the Taste of Queens food hall, highlighting food vendors from across the borough. The ownership team includes Cohen, Hard Rock International, construction firm McKissack & McKissack, and investment bank Siebert Williams Shank & Co.
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“Since the day I bought the team, the community and Mets fans have made it clear to me that we can and should do better with the area around the ballpark,” Cohen said in the release. “Now, we are going to be able to deliver the sports and entertainment district that our fans have been asking for.”
Meanwhile, Resorts World New York City’s $7.5 billion expansion includes a $5.5 billion physical investment at the Aqueduct site. Plans call for a 2,000-key hotel, expanding on the existing 400-room Hyatt Regency, as well as a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor, a 7,000-seat multipurpose entertainment venue, more than 7,000 parking spaces, and over 12 acres of public green space.
“Resorts World New York City’s journey to this historic moment represents more than 15 years of work to generate jobs, revenue, and opportunities for our neighbors,” said Robert DeSalvio, president of Genting Americas East, in a release. The company expects to have “hundreds of table games available” by the end of March 2026.
In the Bronx, Bally’s $4 billion casino resort is planned as a 250-foot-tall development featuring a 500-room upscale hotel, 500,000 square feet of gaming space, a 2,000-person event center, large parking facilities, and multiple dining and entertainment venues designed to showcase the borough.
“Bally’s is prepared to make the largest private investment in the borough’s history, and with it a long-term commitment to community benefits for Bronx residents,” Soo Kim, chairman of Bally’s Corporation, said in a June release about the project.
Together, the three approvals signal a significant expansion of New York City’s gaming and hospitality footprint, with wide-ranging implications for commercial construction activity, job creation and long-term economic development across the city’s outer boroughs.
Originally reported by Lara Ewen, Contributor in Construction Dive.
