{"id":9642,"date":"2025-08-13T23:59:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-13T23:59:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/yonkers-split-over-mgm-empire-city-casino-license-bid\/"},"modified":"2025-08-13T23:59:18","modified_gmt":"2025-08-13T23:59:18","slug":"yonkers-split-over-mgm-empire-city-casino-license-bid","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/2025\/08\/13\/yonkers-split-over-mgm-empire-city-casino-license-bid\/","title":{"rendered":"Yonkers Split Over MGM Empire City Casino License Bid"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p>Yonkers is facing a heated debate over whether MGM Empire City should be granted a full commercial casino license. While city leaders, including Mayor Mike Spano, are pushing for the upgrade, community members remain split on whether the benefits outweigh the concerns.<\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong><em>Good to know<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><em>MGM Empire City submitted its casino license bid on June 26, aiming to transform its racino into a full-service commercial casino.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>Ten percent of tax revenue would go directly to Yonkers, with another 10% shared between Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><em>If approved, renovations would be finished by mid-2029.<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr>\n<p>The first of two required public meetings brought mixed reactions from residents. Mayor Spano voiced strong support, saying,<em> \u201cThe award of a casino gaming license to MGM Empire City will spur a transformative redevelopment, including new destination dining experiences and a first-of-its-kind entertainment venue in the region that will draw A-list performers and events.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Not everyone agrees. Some residents argued the project could bring social challenges, while others urged the community to focus on tangible benefits. One attendee countered the opposition, stating, <em>\u201cThis is money we desperately need to fix our aging schools, improve infrastructure, and support essential city services. Let\u2019s not start debating hypothetical problems. Let\u2019s focus on real, tangible benefits.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<p>MGM\u2019s redevelopment proposal includes reconfiguring the gaming floor, expanding the high-limit lounge, and building a retail BetMGM Sportsbook. The project is expected to create economic momentum, with tax revenue earmarked to directly support local and regional communities.<\/p>\n<div class=\"main-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative mb-4\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-items box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"box-100 space-org-3-item relative border-tb mt-1 \">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-ins box-100 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-logo-title-box box-100 text-left relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-box box-25 relative img-radius\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n\t\t<amp-img alt=\"7Bit Casino\" src=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/7BitCasino.png.webp\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" layout=\"fixed\"><br \/>\n\t\t<\/amp-img><br \/>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-logo-title box-25 relative py-10\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"7Bit Casino\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">7Bit Casino<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-terms-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t<strong>177% up to 5BTC + 77 <strong>\u00a0Free Spins<\/strong>!<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"pt-1\">New players only. Exclusive Welcome Bonus of 177% + 77 Free Spins\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating box-25 relative mb-10\">\n<div class=\"rating-box text-center box-100  relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-rating-box relative\">\n<div class=\"stars\"><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><span class=\"star on\"><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-rating-notice relative\">Casino<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>\t\n\t\t\t\t <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button box-25 relative\">\n<div class=\"space-org-3-item-button-ins box-100 text-center relative\">\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/site\/7-bit-casino\/\" title=\"Visit Site\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">\tVisit Site<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While MGM\u2019s bid moves forward, competition for a limited number of New York licenses is fierce. Bally\u2019s, for example, is seeking approval for a Bronx casino project that initially faced City Council rejection due to zoning issues. Mayor Eric Adams later <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/ny-mayor-eric-adams-reverses-council-move-blocking-bronx-casino-plan\/\">vetoed<\/a> the rejection, sparking controversy and allegations of political favoritism. If Bally\u2019s gets the green light, the Trump Organization\u2014former operator of the proposed site\u2014would receive $115 million.<\/p>\n<p>The Yonkers Community Advisory Committee will eventually cast a binding vote to decide if MGM\u2019s proposal advances to the next stage with the New York Gaming Commission. For now, the discussion shows no sign of quieting, as residents weigh promises of jobs and revenue against potential risks.<\/p>\n<p>The post <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/casino-news\/yonkers-split-over-mgm-empire-city-casino-license-bid\/\">Yonkers Split Over MGM Empire City Casino License Bid<\/a> appeared first on <a href=\"https:\/\/igaming.org\/\">iGaming.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Yonkers is facing a heated debate over whether MGM Empire City should be granted a full commercial casino license. While city leaders, including Mayor Mike Spano, are pushing for the upgrade, community members remain split on whether the benefits outweigh the concerns. Good to know MGM Empire City submitted its casino license bid on June [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9642","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"blocksy_meta":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9642","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9642"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9642\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9642"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9642"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/casino-online-best.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9642"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}