MGM Empire City gives NY casino licence pitch to local CAC

After a quick initial meeting last month, a community advisory committee (CAC) convened again on Thursday for the MGM Empire City racino, this time to hear a presentation on the NY casino project itself.

MGM is one of eight applicants vying for up to three available downstate New York casino licences, which will be awarded by year’s end. Currently, the process is in the CAC phase, in which each applicant is judged for its level of community support.

Each project needs four positive votes from its committee to advance for further consideration; as the only bid outside of New York City (Yonkers), MGM could have the smallest margin for error because its CAC features five members, compared to six for those in NYC. Seven of the eight CACs have hosted at least one meeting, with Bally’s Bronx to come. That said, MGM was the only applicant not to present at its first meeting, for reasons unknown.

The general theme of the presentation centred around the property’s longstanding relationship with Yonkers and the state. As such, the presenters mostly were representing the property itself, rather than corporate officials.

MGM is proposing a $2.3 billion expansion and renovation of the facility, similar in nature to fellow racino Resorts World NYC. If selected for a licence, MGM would overhaul the casino with a new entrance and porte cochere, a revamped casino floor and a 5,000-seat entertainment venue. Its first-phase launch target of July 2027 would be the second-fastest speed to market of the field behind Resorts World.

‘The best possible corporate citizen’

Leading the presentation on Thursday was Louie Theros, president and COO of Empire City, who gave a history of the site that has been in operation for more than 100 years. The 95-acre property has undergone several transformations, most recently from a pure racetrack to a video lottery terminal (VLT) facility about 20 years ago, when it was owned by the Rooney family.

MGM purchased the facility in 2019 and committed $1 billion toward the purchase and associated upgrades. The company has doubled the property’s payroll and upgraded several of its amenities in the past six years. It has also contributed more than $5 billion in taxes since securing its VLT licence, including $1.5 billion under MGM ownership. This is among the top arguments for its licensure.

“Let me assure you, Empire has been, is, and will continue to be the best possible corporate citizen it can be to Yonkers, its residents and the community,” Theros said.

As an existing racetrack, Empire City has contributed hundreds of millions to racing purses and would keep doing so if selected by the state. Theros was adamant that the racing support “will continue”, pounding the table as he said so.

“Simply put, Yonkers and our employees have waited years for this project,” Theros said. “They have earned it and they deserve it. “

Convergence of upstate and downstate

Representatives from JCJ Architecture walked through renderings and animations of the expansion and compared the new amenities to the property’s current views. The interiors of the NY casino, theatre and meeting spaces were dominated by gold and black colours, coupled with white marble finishes.

On the exterior, the current property’s history and various stages are apparent, in the sense that it is an amalgam of several previous expansions. Most of this has come in the form of added parking lots and other facilities. But if expansion is approved, designers would overhaul the grounds with more greenery.

JCJ Principal Mike Larson explained that the racino’s location represents a nice in-between point for downstate and upstate New York. Thus, designers sought to create a modern, urban-appealing design in the backdrop of the green wilderness. In total, the renovations would remove some five acres of asphalt.

“Our project site sits at a very unique point of convergence,” Larson said. “It borders both the urban metropolis that is New York City to the south and is a gateway to the natural beauty of the surrounding New York countryside to the north. We drew upon this convergence as our inspiration for what the reinvented MGM Empire City should look like.”

Moving forward, the CAC must hold at least two public hearings for the project. The first is scheduled for 11 August at 6 pm local time. A binding vote on this NY casino project must then be held by 30 September.