Companies competing for three downstate New York casino licenses reported some of the city’s largest lobbying expenditures in 2025, showing the political intensity surrounding the licensing process, according to the New York City Office of the City Clerk’s Lobbying Bureau annual report.
Several casino bidders ranked among the ten largest lobbying spenders in New York City last year. Queens Future, LLC, the entity behind the Metropolitan Park project, reported $1.68 million in lobbying expenditures, the second-highest total recorded in the city and the largest among casino applicants.
Genting New York LLC, the operator of Resorts World NYC, reported $1.14 million in lobbying spending, placing fourth overall, while Bally’s Corp, set to build a casino in the Bronx, reported $830,661, ranking sixth.
Another proposal that ultimately failed to secure approval also ranked among the city’s top lobbying spenders. TSG Coney Island Entertainment Holdco, representing the The Coney project, reported $1.4 million in lobbying expenditures in 2025, making it the third-largest spender in the city. Despite the spending, the project’s bid was rejected by its community advisory committee.
Metropolitan Park project render
The casino licensing race attracted as many as 11 proposals at one point as developers competed for the three available downstate licenses. The New York Gaming Facility Location Board, which ultimately recommended the final three projects for licensure, estimated that the casinos could generate $7 billion in gaming tax revenue and $5.9 billion in other tax revenue during the period from 2027 to 2036.
Lobbying spending related to the Metropolitan Park proposal had already been building for years before the final licensing decision. In 2023, two entities linked to the project appeared among the city’s ten largest lobbying spenders.
New Green Willets, LLC, an entity created by New York Mets owner and Metropolitan Park partner Steve Cohen, reported lobbying expenditures of $946,809 that year, the second-highest total in New York City. Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, the project’s casino partner, reported $660,000, placing fifth. Combined spending by the two entities exceeded $1.5 million.
The following year showed a similar pattern. In 2024, the three projects that ultimately secured licenses were also the largest lobbying spenders in the city. Metropolitan Park reported $1.35 million in lobbying spending, the highest total recorded that year. Genting New York LLC reported $990,000, while Bally’s reported $914,161.
The number of lobbying firms retained varied largely between bidders. Queens Future and Bally’s each hired 12 lobbying firms in connection with their proposals, tying for the highest number of firms engaged by any entity in the city. Genting retained three firms while The Coney worked with four.
The Coney project render
Across the different entities involved, lobbying expenditures connected to the Metropolitan Park proposal totaled approximately $4.6 million over a three-year period through 2025.
The project encountered a legislative obstacle before moving forward. State Senator Jessica Ramos declined to sponsor the rezoning legislation required for the development.
The issue was later resolved when Senator John Liu introduced the legislation instead, as his district includes a smaller portion of the proposed project area. Once the legislation was carried by Liu, the proposal encountered no additional hurdles.
Metropolitan Park is also the largest of the three licensed developments by projected cost. The project carries an estimated price tag of $8 billion, compared with $5.5 billion for Resorts World and $4 billion for the Bally’s Bronx proposal. The development is associated with Cohen, whose net worth Forbes estimates at $23 billion, making him the 104th-richest person in the world.
Bally’s Bronx faced its own political challenges during the approval process. The project encountered zoning resistance from the New York City Council but remained in the race after two actions by former Mayor Eric Adams.
Genting Group’s Resorts World in Queens
Adams first lowered the threshold required for a council vote by submitting a letter of recommendation and later vetoed a council rejection of the proposal, stating that maintaining a pool of applicants was important.
The financial commitments linked to the Bally’s Bronx project extend beyond lobbying costs. In addition to the $500 million casino license fee and the $500 million minimum capital investment required for the development, Bally’s agreed to pay $115 million to the Trump Organization, from which it purchased the project site, if the casino license was granted.
Original article: https://www.yogonet.com/international/news/2026/03/05/117914-casino-bidders-dominate-nyc-lobbying-spend-rankings-for-second-straight-year
