Vicki Been, the chair of New York’s Gaming Facility Location Board, says she’s never been to a casino.
“That’s nowhere I want to spend my time,” said Been, a former deputy mayor for housing and economic development for New York City. She now leads the board that will decide which three of eight high-profile bidders — Mets owner Steve Cohen and MGM Resorts International among them — will win a license to operate a casino in downstate New York.
The initial bids are due Friday. To win backing, the proposals make big promises: Thousands of housing units, green spaces, and lots and lots of jobs. And the estimated payoff for the owners of three successful projects in the most populous US city is a whopping $4.4 billion in annual gambling revenue, according to Spectrum Gaming Group.
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