Following an extended session last week, lawmakers in the New York Senate and Assembly have approved senate bill SB 9673A, presented by Senator Joe Addabbo, to enforce a strict deadline on selecting three casinos to be built in downstate New York.
Lawmakers stayed past the June 6 end of the New York Legislature specifically to vote on the bill.
Governor Kathy Hochul must now approve the bill before it comes into effect. If the proposal is approved, applications for the three casino licenses will be considered until Aug. 31.
Following a late addition to the bill from Addabbo, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board must make recommendations on casinos by Dec. 31, 2025. The final deadline to issue licenses is now March 31, 2026. The application process opened in 2022.
SB 9673A passed the Senate with a majority of 51-4 and the Assembly by 51-9. The initial bill was introduced on May 17, two weeks before the final session of the New York Legislature. Addabbo’s first version of the bill had the deadline for issuing licenses a full year earlier in March 2025.
Addabbo estimates that each of the three downstate U.S. casino real money licenses could attract a $1 billion bid from prospective developers. The Senator expects the state to receive $3 billion through licensing fees. The bill has language to ensure that some revenue from the new casinos will be allocated to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
