The Community Advisory Committee unanimously approved a plan 5-0 to expand MGM’s Empire City Casino Thursday, sending it to the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board for final consideration. MGM wants to spend more than $2 billion to convert the historic “racino” into a full-scale venue with expanded gaming, entertainment, three restaurants, and a new parking garage.
Before the vote, Committee Chair James Cavanaugh said a full gaming license is crucial for the casino’s survival and the local economy.
“If Yonkers does not get one of the three casino licenses, Empire Casino will whither and die," said Cavanaugh. "With three new casinos within a half-hour drive, all offering table games, sports betting, entertainment, and all that goes with a full-blown casino, who is going to continue going to an aging slot parlor with none of these things?”
Multiple casino projects are vying for up to three downstate licenses to be awarded by the end of the year. Queens also advanced one of its two proposals Thursday, approving the expansion of Resorts World New York City. Other contenders are in the Bronx and Coney Island. Three plans in Manhattan failed to move forward earlier this month.
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano says the city is a “sure bet” for one of the licenses. He says this has been years in the making.
"What we’ve shown, too, is that we have speed to market," he tells WAMC. "I think that anyone on the outside looking in, especially New York State looking at where to give three licenses out: who can get up and running quickest? And Yonkers is undoubtedly the community that has speed to market.”
Currently, Empire City employs roughly 700 people and contributes nearly $30 million to Yonkers in taxes. If the expansion goes through, Spano says the number of permanent jobs will more than double, with thousands of construction jobs to boot. He says the expanded casino will also contribute $36 million in aid to local schools.
“We are gonna see additional education aid revenues. We’re gonna see additional property tax revenues. We’re gonna see additional sales tax and income tax revenues that are gonna come from the people are gonna be employed there," Spano explains. "We can probably see in excess of $50-60 million a year in total revenues to the taxpayers of Yonkers.”
The proposed expansion isn’t without its detractors. During the comment period, some community members voiced concerns about the potential for increased traffic, noise and demand on emergency services.
Spano says MGM and the city have signed a community benefits agreement to help mitigate some of the concerns. He says MGM has agreed to invest millions in improving nearby traffic corridors and stormwater drainage, and that MGM will also help fund the construction of a new library.
Cavanaugh says he understands why some residents are hesitant to support the expansion, but he believes the alternative is having no casino at all — and he says that would be worse.
“We must also ask ourselves what will happen if Empire City closes," he warns. "When it nearly closed once before, the Yankees looked at it for a potential site for a new stadium. Would it become an Amazon warehouse? An AI data center? We just don’t know. But it probably won’t become something that spends $100 million to mitigate impacts, provides tens of millions of new dollars in taxes to the city, and 2,000 new jobs.”
