I think it might be just two, with Empire City and Resorts World New York City clearly the front-runners. “I think the real question is how many licenses - one, two or three. “Whether it’s this year or next, it’s going to happen,” Barrow said. Kathy Hochul included a one-year acceleration of the process in her January budget proposal. If they’re granted full casino licenses that enable them to expand their gambling options, hotels and entertainment venues likely would follow, he said.īoth Jason Guyot, Foxwoods’ president and chief operating officer, and Ray Pineault, president and CEO of Mohegan Gaming & Entertainment, Mohegan Sun’s corporate parent, said they’ve been monitoring the New York state legislature, where both houses are working on budget bills calling for the licensing of downstate casinos.Īfter licensing four upstate casinos in 2014, New York didn’t plan on licensing any more until 2023, but Gov. It was only a matter of time, Barrow said, before Empire City and Resorts World are licensed to operate table games in addition to VLTs. While that prospect still might seem far-fetched, the likelihood that New York state will license two full-scale casinos near the Connecticut border by the end of the year is very real.įoxwoods Resort Casino and Mohegan Sun have been expecting it.Įver since Empire City Casino and Resorts World New York City opened at Yonkers Raceway and Aqueduct, respectively, more than a decade ago, their slots-like video display terminals have been reaping revenues that first rivaled and then surpassed the southeastern Connecticut casinos’ slots revenues.Īfter all, “They are the two biggest racinos on earth,” said Clyde Barrow, an expert on Northeast gaming. Census Bureau, casino operators) Buy Photo Reprints (Map by Scott Ritter/The Day | Map tiles: CartoDB and Stamen Design Data: OpenStreetMap, U.S.

Empire City in Yonkers and Resorts World New York City in Queens, currently operating as slots-only racinos, are considered front-runners for two of the licenses.

New York state legislators are debating budget proposals that include the licensing of up to three full-scale casinos downstate.

Empire state casino