NYC’s Casino Rollout Hits Early Turbulence as Resorts World Underperforms and Metropolitan Park Falls Behind

New York City’s ambitious push to establish itself as a major casino market is running into early headwinds, with the two highest-profile projects in the city facing problems that industry analysts say could shape the competitive landscape for years to come. Resorts World New York City, which opened table games in late April to become New York City’s first full commercial casino, delivered first-week table revenue that investment bank Maybank described as having “underwhelmed,” coming in roughly 37 percent below expectations. Meanwhile, the Hard Rock-backed Metropolitan Park project near Citi Field in Queens has fallen more than five months behind its construction schedule.

Gaming industry consultant Brendan Bussmann, managing partner at B Global Advisors, offered a pointed analysis of Resorts World’s situation. Bussmann said the Genting-owned property may have made a strategic error by rushing to open table games before the broader resort experience was fully developed. “If you piecemeal that along, people will see it in its partially complete state and say, ‘Eh, I’m not going to go back,'” he said in comments reported by Casino Reports. Resorts World did not respond to requests for comment on the early performance data.

Metropolitan Park Already Behind

The Metropolitan Park project, backed by Steve Cohen, the owner of the New York Mets, and Hard Rock, submitted a construction timeline to the New York State Gaming Commission indicating that test piling for a key parking structure was supposed to begin on January 1, 2026. As of mid-May, that work had not started. The casino’s own construction phase, originally expected to begin April 1, is also delayed.

Metropolitan Park spokesperson Karl Rickett said in a statement that the early delays would not affect the developers’ plan to open by 2030, noting that pre-construction work including clearing the Citi Field parking lot, identifying underground utilities, fencing the site, and obtaining permits was “mostly complete.” When finished, Metropolitan Park is expected to be an 8 billion dollar resort featuring a 1,000-room hotel, 5,000 slot machines, 375 live dealer tables, 30 poker tables, a sportsbook, 25 acres of open space, a food hall, and a live entertainment venue.

The Three-Casino Race in New York

Three projects received casino licenses from New York State: Resorts World in South Queens, Metropolitan Park at Citi Field, and a Bally’s project in the Bronx. Industry observer Victor-Strategies Executive Vice President Gene Johnson has predicted that Bally’s may actually open before Metropolitan Park given the delays at the Citi Field site. “I expect Bally’s will open about six months sooner than Metro Park,” he said.

The early performance challenges at Resorts World and the construction delays at Metropolitan Park are a cautionary note for a state that has staked significant economic development hopes on its new casino licenses. New York has one of the country’s most competitive gaming markets on the digital side, with New York sports betting generating billions in handle annually. Whether the land-based market can match those expectations remains an open question after this rocky start.