Gaming regulators may not be ready to accept New York casino license applications until 2024. That means developers interested in the three full retail casino licenses that will eventually be awarded for projects in and around New York City may have to wait longer than they expected to break ground.
That’s because New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) staffers are still working on a stage of the license approval process that comes before a commission-appointed board can issue formal requests for license applications.
NYSGC Executive Director Robert Williams said during the commission meeting on Dec. 4 that employees are still answering the 450 questions from casino license hopefuls. They’ll likely be working on them throughout the “holiday season,” he added.
Those questions arrived on Oct. 6 for what’s known as Round Two of submitted queries.
The project timeline originally said the appointed Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) would provide answers to licensee hopefuls in 30 days.
However, would-be retail casino licensees submitted Round One questions on Feb. 3 and received responses on Aug. 30. Williams noted that the previous round involved 613 questions.
In a press release the commission issued on Dec. 4, the body said:
Once the Board issues the answers to the second round of questions, applications will become due 30 days later.
New York Casino License Hopes
On Nov. 8, state Sen. Joseph P. Addabbo Jr. told Bonus he hoped the commission would be able to “acknowledge submitted applications” by the end of 2023.
It seems that may not happen.
Williams said on Dec. 4 that staffers have no set time they need to respond to New York casino license aspirants’ questions.
Siting Board Gains Member
The commission unanimously approved adding a fourth member to the GFLB.
Carlos P. Naudon, Director, President, and CEO of Ponce Bank, joins Quenia Abreu, Vicki Been, and Stuart Rabinowitz.
The commission appointed the first three members of the board on Oct. 3, 2022.
A full siting board would include five members. Three create a quorum.
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