NYC Could Get Casinos Under $216B State Budget

NEW YORK CITY — New York City could get three rolls of the dice on building casinos.

A provision for three downstate casino licenses is included in Gov. Kathy Hochul's proposed $216 billion executive budget for 2023.

Hochul unveiled the budget Tuesday and cast it as the beginning of a "new era" for the state. She said its entirety will directly address the immediate needs of New Yorkers.

"We need to embrace this moment of possibility and use it redefine New York's destiny," she said.

Up to three additional casinos can be built, including in the downstate region, according to budget documents.

State budget director Robert Mujica clarified during a news conference that those casinos won't necessarily be built in New York City. He said officials are reauthorizing a law that doesn't specify where the casinos will be built.

"There's no specific designation that they have to be in New York City," he said.

But many casino advocates viewed the proposed authorizations as a victory to bringing new casinos to the city.

"I believe the inclusion of expediting the three full casino licenses for our downstate region has the potential to bring in $1.5 billion in revenue for the state, additional educational funding and improvements to problem gambling programs," said state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr., who represents part of Queens, in a statement. "I look forward to continuing to work with the Hochul administration and the Gaming Commission to ensure that gaming in the state expands and advances in a credible, reasonable manner.”

The budget accelerates a $1.2 billion tax cut for middle-class New Yorkers, slashes taxes for small businesses, provides $31 billion for schools, sets aside $2 billion for pandemic recovery and increases SUNY and CUNY's operating support by $1.5 billion.

It’s heartening to see that Governor Hochul is acting decisively to begin reversing the years of austerity funding for CUNY," said James Davis, president of the union Professional Staff Congress/CUNY. "After many years of disinvestment, CUNY needs this increased state funding and we look forward to reviewing the budget in detail."