The process to win an opportunity to build a casino in New York—and make an overwhelming profit—requires getting the green light from public officials. And competitors aren’t being cheap to win.
Politico reports that lobbying firms behind ten NYC Metro Area casino proposals have raked in at least $7.2 million over the past 14 months. They made that money by dialing politicians and decision-makers on behalf of gaming operators and real estate partners. Some of these firms even worked for multiple clients. This mix of huge dollar signs, intense competition, and political maneuvering has many worried about corruption’s taint.
“It seems like every lobbyist in town is eventually going to have a casino client,” Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said in an interview. “Even one of these bids will probably be amongst the hardest-fought public campaigns, and to have ten happening at the same time in New York City is just totally unprecedented. I don’t think New York City has ever seen anything like what we’re about to witness as the bids heat up.”
The Malaysian-based Genting Group has shelled out at least $2.7 million on firms to lobby for the expansion of the Resorts World facility— the most of any bidder according to reports with the state’s Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government. And Genting looks poised to see their Queens property get a boost: critical support is flowing in from Queens politicians and unionized workers within the influential Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. One of Genting’s lobbyists, Moonshot Strategies, made $350,000 as part of the process. Moonshot’s founders raised over $7 million dollars to support Eric Adams’ 2021 election and founded their company after doing so.
Of course, there’s just the fear of corruption and at least for now, no verifiable proof, but there are examples of these scenarios leading to disaster. Former Louisiana governor Edwin Edwards went to jail for racketeering, conspiracy, and extortion related to awarding gambling licenses. In Illinois, governor Rod Blagojevich was convicted for attempting to extort a horse track owner in exchange for signing a pro-racetrack bill. And In Alabama, a quartet of state senators, trio of lobbyists, and a pair of casino owners were indicted for swapping campaign donations for supporting gambling legally.
As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire. And while nobody can see smoke, the firewood is all in place.
