The idea of casino resorts in Manhattan is starting to take shape. On Thursday, Wynn Resorts and Related Companies announced plans to bid on one of the three available casino licenses in downstate New York.
The proposal is for a casino at Hudson Yards, a multipurpose residential and commercial area on Manhattan’s West Side. To say Hudson Yards is large is an understatement. The development is the largest mixed-use private real estate deal ever undertaken in the US.
The plans involve building the property next to the Javits Center convention space. This undeveloped section of Hudson Yards includes several active rail lines, so any casino plans would need to factor in a raised platform to work around them.
This is the first formal announcement of a bid for one of the three new licenses the New York Gaming Commission approved back in April. It will not be the last though, as multiple operators are eager to get a property in Manhattan. Currently, Resorts World New York in Queens and MGM’s Empire City Casino in Yonkers are in the outer boroughs, but there is nowhere to gamble in Manhattan proper. Both Resorts and Empire City are tethered to racetracks, while these licenses would be for standalone casinos.
Both MGM Resorts and Resort World’s Genting Group are expected to compete for licenses.
The group that will decide the fate of the Hudson Yards Wynn is not assembled yet. It will consist of a six-person advisory committee with one appointee each from New York City Mayor Eric Adams, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a local City Council member, the borough president, a local Assembly member, and a state senator.
One state senator, Brad Hoylman told the New York Times that Wynn is likely not a front runner with this plan.
“Related and Wynn have a steep hill to climb to convince local residents that a casino in Hudson Yards is in their best interests,” he said.
