New York City’s casino expansion is off to a bumpy start. Resorts World New York City, which opened table games in late April to become the city’s first full commercial casino, delivered first-week per-table revenue that investment bank Maybank described as having “underwhelmed” by roughly 37 percent below expectations. And the competing Metropolitan Park project at Citi Field, backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock, has fallen more than five months behind its originally submitted construction schedule.
Gaming consultant Brendan Bussmann of B Global Advisors attributed Resorts World’s tepid debut partly to the timing of the launch. The Genting-owned property, which converted from a racino, rushed to open before the full gaming experience was complete. “If you piecemeal that along, people will see it in its partially complete state and say, ‘Eh, I’m not going to go back,'” Bussmann said in comments reported by Casino Reports. The property did not respond to requests for comment on the performance data.
Metropolitan Park Construction Delays
The Metropolitan Park casino development submitted a timeline to the New York State Gaming Commission indicating that test piling for a parking structure was to begin January 1, 2026. As of mid-May, that work had not begun, pushing the casino’s own construction start from its April 1 target. Spokesperson Karl Rickett said in a statement that pre-construction work was “mostly complete” and that the delays would not affect the 2030 target opening date.
When completed, Metropolitan Park is projected to be an $8 billion complex with 5,000 slot machines, 375 live dealer tables, 30 poker tables, a sportsbook, a 1,000-room hotel, 25 acres of open space, a food hall, and a live entertainment venue. It represents one of the largest gaming construction projects in the northeastern United States.
Three-Way Race Among New York Licensees
New York State awarded three casino licenses: one to Resorts World, one to Metropolitan Park, and one to a Bally’s project planned for a former golf course in the Bronx. Industry analyst Gene Johnson of Victor-Strategies predicted that Bally’s may actually open ahead of Metropolitan Park given the current delays at Citi Field. Resorts World, meanwhile, faces the challenge of re-attracting visitors who may have been underwhelmed by its initial offering.
The early setbacks are a notable development for a state that expects its new casinos to generate significant revenue and tourism. New York sports betting has been a national leader in handle volume since mobile wagering launched, but the land-based gaming market is proving harder to stand up quickly. Whether Resorts World can correct its trajectory before Metropolitan Park eventually opens will shape the competitive dynamics of the market for years.
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