A bidding war for New York City area casino licenses is underway, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state Democratic Party are taking large donations from the gaming companies and real estate giants developing pricey proposals, according to recently-released campaign finance filings.
In the past month, Hochul’s fundraising committee accepted large donations from the developers behind casino bids in Times Square, Hudson Yards, and Coney Island, while the state Democratic Party received a $50,000 donation earlier this year from a casino company hopeful.
The contest for up to three New York City casino licenses was accelerated by the state budget that was passed by Gov. Hochul and legislators in April 2022, moving forward the timeline for beginning the process to award the licenses from a 2013 ballot measure by one year, to this past January. The process, which comes with a $1 million application fee, involves multiple phases of review from a variety of city and state boards—but the licenses will ultimately be awarded by the Gaming Facilities Location Board, a five-member panel whose members are appointed by the Gaming Commission, which is effectively controlled by Gov. Hochul.
