The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board has extended the deadline for downstate casino bids to June 27, 2025. This decision comes even as a bill proposing an earlier deadline of August 31, 2024, awaits Governor Kathy Hochul’s signature.

New Timeline for Downstate Casino Bids

On June 27, 2024, the Gaming Facility Location Board unanimously approved the new timeline. The revised schedule requires all applications to be submitted by June 27, 2025. Following this, Community Advisory Committees (CACs) will form to begin their statutory evaluations. CACs must vote on their respective projects by September 30, 2025, after which approved applicants will submit additional materials, including proposed tax rates, for further evaluation.

The board plans to make its decisions by December 1, 2025, with the New York State Gaming Commission issuing licenses by December 31, 2025. This extended timeline is designed to ensure that all legal and procedural requirements are met, giving communities ample opportunity to voice their opinions and allowing applicants to finalize necessary zoning and environmental approvals.

Conflict with Pending Legislation

Senator Joe Addabbo’s bill (S9673A), passed through the House and Senate in early June 2024, proposes an August 31, 2024 deadline for bid submissions. However, board members expressed concerns that this deadline is unrealistic. Board chair Vicki Been stated, “The hope would be that our reasoning will be helpful to the governor,” indicating the board’s belief that a rushed deadline would not be practical given the complexity of the bidding process.

Bidders must complete zoning changes and environmental impact studies before their proposals can be reviewed. Currently, sites like Bally’s Bronx proposal and Steve Cohen’s Queens proposal require rezoning, as they are designated as parkland. Both developers are lobbying local and state boards for these changes, but the approvals are not yet in place.

Interested Bidders and Proposals

There are 11 bidders interested in the three available casino licenses for downstate New York. The proposals and their respective developers and operators include:

• Avenir: Silverstein Properties (Developer), Greenwood Gaming (Casino Operator) – Manhattan
• Bally’s Links at Ferry Point: Bally’s Corporation (Developer and Casino Operator) – The Bronx
• Caesars Palace Times Square: Caesars Entertainment, SL Green, Roc Nation (Developers), Caesars Entertainment (Casino Operator) – Manhattan
• The Coney: Thor Equities, Legends Entertainment, the Chickasaw Nation, Saratoga Casino Holdings (Developers), Saratoga Casino Holdings (Casino Operator) – Brooklyn
• Freedom Plaza: Soloviev Group (Developer), Mohegan Gaming (Casino Operator) – Manhattan
• Metropolitan Park: Steven Cohen (Developer), Hard Rock International (Casino Operator) – Queens
• MGM Empire City: MGM Resorts International (Developer and Casino Operator) – Yonkers
• Resorts World New York City: Genting Group (Developer and Casino Operator) – Queens
• Sands New York: Las Vegas Sands (Developer and Casino Operator) – Long Island, Nassau County
• Saks Fifth Avenue: Hudson’s Bay Company (Developer), TBD (Casino Operator) – Manhattan
• Wynn New York City: Related Companies, Oxford Properties Group (Developers), Wynn Resorts (Casino Operator) – Manhattan

Community and Regulatory Considerations

In addition to securing community support through CACs, applicants must navigate the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQR) process. This extensive review is essential to identify and mitigate any adverse environmental effects of the proposed projects. The City of New York has updated its zoning code to permit licensed commercial casino gambling, but some potential applicants still face additional zoning hurdles.

The board’s decision to extend the bid deadline aims to provide a fair and thorough evaluation process, ensuring that all proposals meet the required standards and that the community’s voice is heard.

Source:

The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board (PDF), June 27, 2024. 

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The North Carolina State Lottery Commission recently discussed the future of mobile sports betting in the state. Officials remain convinced that they will be able to meet the original deadline, launching mobile sports betting by mid-2024.

The commission believes that the first mobile sportsbooks will go live within the first half of the next year, ushering in a new age of betting. According to representatives, the market should be functional no later than mid-June maybe even earlier.

Some went as far as claiming that the market may launch in January but many prefer to remain cautiously optimistic and focus on meeting the June deadline.

Sterl Carpenter, deputy executive director of gaming compliance and sports betting at the North Carolina State Lottery Commission, noted that lawmakers are still making tweaks to the mobile system. Despite that, Carpenter is certain that the commission will get betting running no later than mid-June.

In the meantime, the commission will continue its work on the local regulations and licensing system.

The Regulator Will Be Busy

Speaking of the licensing process in North Carolina, the commission was considering an electronic application system. However, the regulator did not quite like the four submissions it received and preferred not to progress with these plans for now. As a result, at least in the beginning, the North Carolina State Lottery Commission will handle the applications.

In the meantime, the commission unveiled the creation of a new sports betting committee that will deal with “sports betting issues that don’t fit neatly into the other committees.” This is yet another effort to systematize the regulator’s work ahead of the market launch.

In unrelated news, the North Carolina governor just rejected a controversial plan put forth by Republican state lawmakers that would have tied the long-awaited expansion of Medicaid with a proposed expansion of casino gaming in the state. Governor Roy Cooper went as far as calling the proposal the “most brutally dishonest legislative scheme” he has seen during his 30 years in politics.

In the meantime, a recent report claimed that the lobbying efforts of the gambling industry have affected the decisions of certain government members, influencing their votes during recent decisions. According to a local news outlet, eight North Carolina lawmakers had received a total of $34,400 between November 2022 and March 2023.

The post NC Regulator Is Convinced Mobile Betting Launch Will Meet the Deadline appeared first on Keno Wizard.

R&F Korea, local subsidiary of Hong Kong-listed Guangzhou R&F Properties Co Ltd, has confirmed plans to extend the construction deadline of its Midan City Resort Complex in the Incheon Free Economic Zone by 12 months due to its intentions to scale down the project.

The current deadline, approved by the Korean Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, is March 17 this year. 

The company disclose that since last year the company has been looking to sell off some of its land to fund its casino scheme. It has already succeeded in selling its third phase – 89,385 square metres (962,132 sq. feet).

R&F has also confirmed plans to sell off its second phase, measuring 50,805 square metres. If the company finds a buyer, it will forego intentions of having a second scheme. 

If it gets approved, this extension would be the fourth modification in five years to the approved launch schedule.

A representative of the company told GGRAsia the firm intends to outline to the ministry what progress it had made to meet the conditions for a further timetable extension.

The last time it asked for an extension, the conditions stated included finding a new gaming-operator partner after buying off Caesars Entertainment; resuming construction of the then-paused first phase; and clarifying the financing plan.



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