After some political twists and turns and some setbacks, optimism continues to rise about the controversial Citi Field Casino ultimately moving to green light status. The reason for the sudden optimism comes when the New York legislature narrowed the projects down to three licenses. Despite state senator Sigal opposing the Queens project or building any casino in New York City, he has recently changed his tune to the Citi Field Casino due to the backing of Mets owner Steve Cohen.
A Scramble To Boost Revenue
Each of the proposed New York City casino sites has generated some community opposition, especially from anti-gambling advocates. The frustration and opposition has even gone so far to have exterior signs on Broadway with rallies. However, the Citi Field Casino project has plenty of backing for the financial windfalls it will bring.
Sigal recently went on record stating, “In my opinion, that’s a shortsighted way to raise revenue for the state. Again, the problems that casinos bring to neighborhoods are well-documented. Sigal went on to expound his approval, “That said…I think the one at Citi Field has a very good shot after we amended a statute in Albany to allow that casino to go forward.”
If Sigal and New York lawmakers are successful in amending the state constitution, the Citi Field Casino will be constructed on the same parking lot as Citi Field, home to the New York Mets. To compound the interest in getting the Citi Field Casino off the ground, construction recently started on Etihad Park. Etihad Park is New York’s sole-purpose soccer field.
The push for the Citi Field Casino project comes from ongoing federal budget cuts. Not wanting to raise income taxes further, New York is banking on New York casino projects. As Citi Field tries to get off the ground, legislators continue to get legalizing New York online casinos off the ground. Last summer, a special legislation was almost called to sanction online casinos in the Empire State to raise income immediately from the lucrative online casino licenses.
The Concerns Continue to Mount
No decisions have been made on which casino bids will be granted a license. Still, it seems likely that two of the four licenses would be awarded to Yonkers Raceway and Aqueduct in Queens, because both of those sites already operate racinos. The remaining license would be for one of several new casino bids that were made in the downstate region, mainly in New York City, perhaps the Citi Field project.
Even though Sigal is putting momentum behind the Citi Field Casino project, he is accurately aware of the problems associated with it. In a recent interview, Sigal remarked about the dangers that casinos can bring to the nearby areas, which is why he is opposed to the casino projects for Times Square and New York’s East Side.
Sigal went on to state in his recent interview, “If you want to exacerbate the problem of quality of life in a neighborhood, drop a casino in the middle of that. Crime, traffic, addiction. Casinos feed on all of those societal problems.”
To help ease community concerns, developers say they have pledged $1 billion in community investments, which include a 25-acre park, five acres of sports fields, and a $163 million community fund. It is estimated that these casinos would create more than 20,000 jobs.
