New York’s $17B casino licence race fuels record lobbying
In 2025, New York advanced plans to expand casino gambling in its most populated region, triggering one of the city’s most competitive development battles. The state approved three downstate casino licences, drawing bids from developers, corporations, and political figures, with billions at stake and heavy lobbying aimed at lawmakers and community boards.
According to the New York City Office of the City Clerk’s Lobbying Bureau Annual Report, overseen by General Counsel Patrick L. Synmoie and Chief Investigator Walter Carcione, total lobbying compensation in 2025 hit a staggering $144,528,351.52, an all-time high. That figure has climbed steadily from $121,153,557.79 in 2022, to $130,962,045.71 in 2023, and $138,387,171.86 in 2024. In 2025, lobbyist/client filers added another $4,570,877.36 on top of that.
Three licences with billions at stake
When New York State announced it would issue three downstate casino licences, it triggered a gold rush. The three ultimately approved projects — Metropolitan Park in Queens, Resorts World NYC’s expansion, and Bally’s Bronx casino — represent a combined investment of more than $17 billion, with Metropolitan Park alone carrying an $8 billion price tag. Regulators project the casinos could generate roughly $7 billion in gaming tax revenue and nearly $6 billion in other taxes between 2027 and 2036, funding public infrastructure, education, and services.
The casino licensing procedure in New York required several levels of approval. The Gaming Facility Location Board first examined proposals in light of community concerns, urban planning, economic effect, and financial stability. Before issuing final licences, the State Gaming Commission took care of financial and legal compliance.
Each project was examined by community advisory committees composed of political appointees and local representatives in addition to these regulators. These committees considered things like employment, traffic, the social costs of gambling, and the effects on the environment; their rejection may put an end to a project. For this reason, lobbying efforts reached local lawmakers, community boards, and civic leaders in addition to state regulators.
Casino bids and lobbying power
In 2025, three major casino projects competed for approval in New York, each backed by significant lobbying efforts. Queens Future LLC, tied to Mets owner Steve Cohen, spent about $1.68 million on lobbying that year and more than $4.6 million over several years, using 12 firms to advance its Metropolitan Park proposal.
Genting New York LLC, operator of Resorts World NYC, pursued a $5 billion expansion of its existing Queens facility and spent roughly $1.14 million on lobbying through three firms.
In order to construct a $4 billion resort at Ferry Point Park in the Bronx, Bally’s Corporation invested roughly $830,000 in 12 different companies. Its project encountered the most difficult obstacles, including intense community opposition due to traffic and neighbourhood issues and the need for legislative authority to use parkland. These numbers demonstrate how lobbying influenced the competition almost as much as the actual casino designs.
TSG Coney Island Entertainment Holdco, the group behind the proposed Coney Island casino known as The Coney, spent about $1.4 million on lobbying in 2025 and worked with four firms to advance its bid. Despite ranking among the city’s top lobbying spenders, the project collapsed after its community advisory committee voted against it.
Bigger lobbying picture
In 2025, New York’s casino licensing fight unfolded within a broader surge of lobbying activity. Kasirer LLC led the field with more than $17 million in compensation, followed by Bolton-St. Johns LLC at about $10.6 million and Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC at nearly $6.8 million.
Other firms like Hollis Public Affairs, Constantinople & Vallone Consulting, and Cozen O’Connor Public Strategies also reported multimillion-dollar totals. Real estate clients dominated the industry, accounting for nearly a third of all lobbying, while nonprofits and public interest groups made up about a fifth. The most lobbied issues included the city budget, local legislation, and property determinations.
Around 630 lobbyists registered on behalf of over 2,200 clients, generating more than $200,000 in fees. Some contracts stood out, such as MADDD Equities paying Akerman LLP $1.42 million, TSG Coney Island Entertainment Holdco paying Sheppard Mullin over $1.2 million, and Genting New York paying Patrick B. Jenkins & Associates $840,000.
Nonprofits were also active, with groups like Make the Road New York, Legal Services NYC, and Planned Parenthood of Greater New York reporting dozens of staff engaged in lobbying. Together, these figures show how the casino race was part of a much larger and costly lobbying environment in the city.
Oversight of lobbying activity
The city’s Lobbying Bureau faced significant oversight requirements in 2025 as a result of New York’s casino licensing procedure, according to the Lobbying Bureau Annual Report. Inaccurate compensation reports and even errors like children’s names appearing in filings were among the 69 audit results that the bureau released that year. Two of the three code violation complaints it opened were settled by early 2026, while one is still unresolved.
279 client annual reports were submitted after the deadline, which resulted in fines of about $165,000. This was a significant issue. Over $29,000 in fines were imposed on lobbyists in 2024 and 2025 for failing to submit their periodic reports. Penalties were also imposed, albeit on a lesser scale, for consulting and fundraising reports.
Administratively, the bureau handled hundreds of inquiries, most of which had to do with enforcement and compliance, held training sessions for 125 participants, and issued almost 2,000 emails to fund recipients. Additionally, employees handled over 1,000 new enrolments and helped hundreds of users navigate the e-Lobbyist system, illustrating the volume of activity related to the casino licence issue.
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