Of the seven New York casino votes held so far by local committees, The Coney’s was the most anticlimactic.
Its community advisory committee (CAC) rejected the bid on Monday afternoon with a vote of 2-4 against Thor Equities’ $3.4 billion casino complex in Coney Island. It was expected, as it became clear last week that at least three members intended to deny the project. Stakeholders would have needed four affirmative votes from the CAC in order to advance to state consideration, as three other bidders have done thus far.
It became apparent however, after two raucous public hearings, that The Coney had perhaps the lowest level of local support among the eight bidders for three potential downstate New York casino licences. The level of strife showcased in the hearings made CAC approval all but impossible based on that metric.
Prior to the down vote, the committee considered a flurry of amendment proposals from the bidder. A total of 10 categories of amendments spanning virtually every aspect of the proposal were offered on 19 September. The changes were extensive, totalling nearly 150 pages. Interestingly, the amendments were accepted by a 5-1 vote, minutes before the project overall was denied.
Some trends have begun to emerge from the CAC votes that have been held thus far, with one still remaining. For example, six of the seven bidders to host votes have lodged last-second changes. However, this has not meaningfully impacted outcomes, as all four of the rejected projects submitted amendments. Conversely, Resorts World NYC was approved with no amendments.
Additionally, the mayor’s and governor’s appointees to all CACs have voted in favour of every project. And for all four of the rejections – Caesars, Avenir, Freedom Plaza and The Coney – their appointees offered the only positive votes.
‘Disruption and uncomfortable moments’ for The Coney
As it came time to vote, the statements given by CAC members were starkly different from those given earlier in the day by the Bally’s Bronx committee, which approved its bid 5-1. In that case, members pledged the need to invest in underprivileged communities like the Bronx and applauded Bally’s for its collaboration.
Similar arguments could have been made for Coney Island. Yet Thor and The Coney received no such praise.
“There was a lot of disruption and uncomfortable moments throughout this process that I wish would’ve never happened,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “I hope we didn’t make irreparable harm to each other in our community. Because we’re always going to be here.”
Alex Sommer, appointed by Mayor Eric Adams, gave the only positive statement, but it referred to the process rather than the project specifically.
“As the mayor’s office has emphasised throughout this process, we believe casinos can serve as major economic development initiatives, creating good-paying jobs and delivering benefits to the city, region and local communities,” Sommer asserted.
Moving forward, Metropolitan Park is the last project still needing a CAC vote, which is scheduled for 11am on Tuesday. After that, all projects still alive will go before the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board. The board will begin a fresh round of consideration with a 1 December deadline to make recommendations to the New York State Gaming Commission. From there the commission will have until 31 December to issue up to three licences.
Prior to the Metropolitan Park vote, the projects approved so far are Bally’s Bronx, Resorts World and MGM Empire City.
The fourth and latest New York casino rejection was by far the most predictable.