By Dan Murphy
The battle for New York’s coveted third downstate casino license is starting to look a lot like a Yankees–Mets rivalry. On one side: Bally’s, pitching a project in the Bronx. On the other: the Metropolitan Park proposal at Citi Field, backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen and an army of supporters in Queens.
But unlike baseball’s Subway Series, this contest doesn’t feel evenly matched.
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for the Citi Field project delivered a unanimous vote of support, reflecting overwhelming neighborhood enthusiasm for the transformation of the underutilized asphalt lots around the ballpark into a sprawling entertainment district. Public testimony was stacked with local residents, business leaders, and elected officials backing the project as a jobs engine and a long-term economic driver for Queens.
Metropolitan Park also benefits from its location adjacent to Citi Field, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, the U.S. Open, and LaGuardia Airport, creating a natural draw for both tourists and locals. The vision ties directly into an existing sports, entertainment, and transit hub that already sees tens of millions of annual visitors.
By contrast, Bally’s Bronx project struggled in its CAC review. The committee did not produce a unanimous vote, with at least one member dissenting and the reasons were serious. Critics pointed to Bally’s deteriorating financial position, including a negative credit rating watch by Fitch, as well as reports of stalled or under-delivering projects in other states. Questions about whether Bally’s has the financial strength to deliver a mega-casino in New York loomed large.
“The fiscal viability just isn’t there,” said one CAC member during deliberations, adding that the Bronx community could be left with broken promises if the project falters.
Unlike Queens, where a casino would be integrated into a web of attractions, Bally’s faces an uphill climb selling the Bronx site. Its relatively remote location and lack of surrounding amenities raise doubts about whether it could compete with the bright lights of Manhattan or the established draw of Queens’ sports-and-entertainment corridor.
More troubling for Bally’s, analysts say its Bronx proposal would do little to stop the billions of gaming dollars New Yorkers already spend annually in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut. Without the pull of a broader destination, Bally’s risks becoming a regional afterthought in the most competitive casino market in the nation.
The State’s Gaming Facility Location Board will ultimately decide which three applicants secure licenses. MGM’s Empire City in Yonkers and Resorts World in Queens are seen as near-locks, leaving Bally’s and Citi Field in what amounts to a Bronx vs. Queens playoff for the third slot.
And right now, it looks like the Mets are winning.
With a unanimous CAC vote, visible community enthusiasm, and a project anchored in one of New York’s most-visited destinations, the Citi Field proposal appears to hold a decisive advantage. Bally’s, meanwhile, faces questions not only about location and amenities, but also about whether it has the financial horsepower to cross the finish line.
As the casino stakes rise, the Yankees vs. Mets rivalry may once again capture headlines. But this time, it’s not baseball fans keeping score, it’s Albany.
