Casino license board member bows out

Nov 22, 2024

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Las Vegas Sands released renderings Jan. 12, 2023, on plans to bid for casino license at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island.

Renderings of the Las Vegas Sands casino bid released in January. The downstate casino licensing process has been beset by delays, and the board charged with choosing the winners just lost a member. | Provided by Las Vegas Sands

PLACE YOUR BETS (SOMETIME, IN THE LIKELY DISTANT FUTURE): The high-stakes competition to win a lucrative downstate casino license continues to be beset by delays, and one of the four members of the board entrusted with awarding the licenses has stepped down, Playbook has learned.

Quenia Abreu, CEO of the New York Women's Chamber of Commerce, has left her prestigious volunteer role on the gaming commission’s downstate siting board. Playbook obtained her Nov. 4 letter of resignation, which made no mention of the reason for her resignation.

While the casino licenses can still be awarded with three board spots filled, Abreu’s departure marks the latest example of how a process intended to be smooth and swift has been anything but.

In 2022, the state Legislature approved three casino licenses for the New York metro area, setting off a bidding war for a metaphorical money-printing license from the state. The three New York casinos are bound to be some of the most lucrative in the world.

But while the process was intended to be close to the finish line by now, the state’s gaming commission continues to delay. In June, it rebuffed a bill from Queens Sen. Joe Addabbo and Mt. Vernon Assemblymember Gary Pretlow to speed up the timeline and codify its end date.

News that the siting board has shrunk also comes as Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to veto Addabbo and Pretlow’s bill by next week.

“It feels like everyone is frustrated,” said one source close to the process, reacting to Abreu’s departure. “New York constantly bills itself as the land of opportunity. But we’re slow-walking tens of thousands of jobs and billions in revenue. It makes little sense.”

The board’s members must reside in New York and cannot have any financial interest in gaming activities. The three remaining members include a former university president, a banking CEO and a real estate law expert. They will score the applicants along a highly detailed rubric, with the gaming commission weighing in on their decision.

If the board loses one more member, state law dictates it would be too small to award a license. Abreu, the recently departed board member, did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Alan Woinski, founder and publisher of Gaming Industry Daily, has tracked casino licensing processes around the country for the last 30 years. He says New York’s process includes unnecessary layers, like the siting board.

“New York has always been weird with that, and that's why there was so much controversy the first round of licenses,” Woinski said, noting the state decided to award Resorts World a casino in the Catskills in 2015 and “it blew up in their face, because that casino has been a terrible loser.”

That casino has struggled to meet revenue expectations.

“Now they've got an opportunity to actually put gaming people on this board,” Woinski said. “The gambling industry is so different than any other industry, you can't just put somebody with experience in some sort of real estate or consumer venture and just think, no problem, they're going to know what to do with a casino.”

Woinski also warned of further delays from potential lawsuits, which are common when casino licensing processes wrap up.

“It's a process that's already been delayed, in my opinion, far too long. It's a picture of inefficiency at this point,” he said. “We voted on it in 2022 with such optimism, and here we are going upon three years later and you and I could be having this conversation three years from now.” — Jason Beeferman

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From the Capitol

Gov. Kathy Hochul signs a bill

Gov. Kathy Hochul officially legalized adultery today. | Office of Gov. Kathy Hochul

HOCHUL LEGALIZES ADULTERY: Hochul will sign a bill to legalize adultery in New York, her office said.

The 117-year-old prohibition originated from an attempt to crack down on divorces. Back then, adultery was the only path to obtaining one, and the thinking was there would be fewer people frivolously claiming or seeking affairs to get out of their marital vows.

But enforcement has been very selective. Only about a dozen people have been charged with adultery over the past half century — fewer than the number of New York lawmakers who have committed the crime — and the arrests usually lead to individuals already down on their luck becoming international punchlines.

Proposals to repeal the law have been around since at least 1964 but have never been acted on.

"While I've been fortunate to share a loving married life with my husband for 40 years — making it somewhat ironic for me to sign a bill decriminalizing adultery — I know that people often have complex relationships,” Hochul said. “These matters should clearly be handled by these individuals and not our criminal justice system. Let's take this silly, outdated statute off the books, once and for all."

Next March, she and Bill Hochul are due to pass Mario and Matilda Cuomo as the longest-married sitting first couple from at least the past century. — Bill Mahoney

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CONGESTION PRICING CLEARS LAST HURDLE: Congestion pricing was officially cleared by the feds today, meaning the process has full approval to begin on Jan. 5 — as long as a federal judge doesn’t pause it next month.

Janno Lieber, the MTA’s CEO, celebrated the Federal Highway Administration’s final signoff on the congestion pricing measure today from Grand Central Terminal.

“While this policy is obviously controversial, I hope New Yorkers, whatever their opinion, can recognize that this is a significant moment when we are saying that we can do things to address the big challenges that we as a city and region face,” he said.

But congestion pricing still faces a flurry of lawsuits from trade unions, townships and neighboring states, and has been met with scorn by President-elect Donald Trump.

On Dec. 20, federal Judge Lewis Liman is set to hold a hearing on whether or not to halt the toll once again. The hearing is part of a lawsuit brought on by the Trucking Association of New York, the United Federation of Teachers and others to stop the toll.

“Now he has to rule on this last step and we accept it, and obviously we're comfortable going into that litigation,” Lieber said.

The congestion pricing toll for cars entering Manhattan below 60th street was originally slated to start in June at $15, but after pausing the policy Hochul brought it back last week at $9. The tolls are still slated to rise back to $15 by at least 2031. — Jason Beeferman

Policy Change is Coming: Be prepared, be proactive, be a Pro. POLITICO Pro’s platform has 200,000+ energy regulatory documents from California, New York, and FERC. Leverage our Legislative and Regulatory trackers for comprehensive policy tracking across all industries. Learn more.

FROM THE DELEGATION

Mike Lawler walks on Capitol Hill.

Rep. Mike Lawler has been very careful so far with his language regarding social issues. | Francis Chung/POLITICO

EYES TO THE RIGHT: The merry pranksters and vulgarians of the online Right are thrilled with their Republican House majority but less so with the behavior of a certain New Yorker lawmaker who helped deliver it to them.

Republican Rep. Mike Lawler found himself in their crosshairs yesterday for taking a victory lap on X after Matt Gaetz withdrew as nominee for Attorney General. Lawler posted a picture of Kevin McCarty, holding the Speaker’s gavel, with laser-red eyes — an allusion to Gaetz’s beef with the former House speaker.

“Lawler has humbly requested we primary him,” said right-wing pundit Tim Pool, whose streaming show was funded by a Russian influence operation. He did not respond to a request for comment.

“They always tell you who they are,” said the popular far-right account @Catturd2, who boasts more than three million followers. It was somehow lost on both self-styled political experts that Lawler doesn’t appear to be running for re-election — instead setting his sights on the governor’s mansion.

The relatively moderate Republican has made no secret of his feelings toward Gaetz or his role in last year’s stunt to oust McCarthy, which he called a “clown show” at the time, adding that he “wouldn’t even call them on my right flank. This is not conservative Republicanism. This is stupidity.”

While rehashing the beef has reminded people that Lawler is no friend of the far right — they call him a RINO, while the left calls him MAGA Mike — it could require some eventual damage control down the road to Albany.

If the upcoming Republican gubernatorial primary is anything like 2022, Lawler may find himself searching for common ground with voters more conservative than him. Lawler declined to comment beyond his post. — Timmy Facciola

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IN OTHER NEWS...

— LAW FIRM SPENDING: Under County Executive Bruce Blakeman, county spending on legal representation has ballooned with minimal oversight. (Newsday)

— LT. GOV ON DEMOCRACY: Lt. Gov. Anthony Delgado went on MSNBC’s Morning Joe to discuss his thoughts on the state of the Democratic party and neoliberalism. (MSNBC)

— SANCTUARY CITY: Adams’ administration has rejected 99 percent of federal immigration enforcers’ requests that could lead to deportation this year. (Newsday)

Missed this morning’s New York Playbook? We forgive you. Read it here.

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