Steve Cohen’s casino proposal near Citi Field gets approval

Steve Cohen?s casino proposal near Citi Field gets approval

A community advisory board has approved the idea of opening a casino next to Citi Field in Queens. FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini has the latest details.

QUEENS - A community advisory board has approved the idea of opening a casino next to Citi Field in Queens.

New York Mets team owner Steve Cohen is behind the Metropolitan Park project, along with Hard Rock. The proposal will now move to the state level for possible approval.

The vote was the last of the eight bids in the New York City area, four of which were denied. The New York State Gaming Commission will award three downstate licenses by the end of the year. 

The backstory:

On Monday, a community advisory committee voted against a casino proposal in Coney Island, but approved the Bronx proposal.

Last week, the committees approved two casino expansion plans for locations in Queens and Yonkers, bringing them one step closer to getting a commercial casino license.

The Queens Advisory Committee voted unanimously to approve the expansion plan at Resorts World Casino New York City. The casino's $5.5 billion proposal includes plans for thousands of slot machines and new hotel rooms, hundreds of gaming tables and dozens of green spaces.

A Yonkers committee similarly approved plans for expansion at MGM Empire City. Their proposal includes plans for a new sports book and high-limit lounge, and a full renovation of the gaming floor.

Both facilities are currently operating as partial casinos. Commercial casino licenses would allow the locations to include live dealer games.

The New York State Gaming Commission will award three downstate licenses by the end of the year.