Overview

• Community advisory committees are set to vote Thursday on upgrades at MGM Empire City in Yonkers and Resorts World at Aqueduct in Queens, a required step before state review.
• Yonkers officials say they expect Empire City to secure the first local approval, positioning the project strongly for one of the three downstate licenses.
• Five bids remain in contention: MGM’s Yonkers racino, Resorts World at Aqueduct, a Hard Rock–backed plan next to Citi Field, a Bally’s proposal at Ferry Point in the Bronx, and a Coney Island project.
• The state has pushed its final licensing awards to January 2026, extending a process in which local panels have acted as gatekeepers.
• MGM says it could begin construction within months of licensing, adding live dealer games, 14 new restaurants and bars, and a 5,000-seat venue, with Yonkers projecting more than $50 million a year in local revenue.