Rush Street Antes Up, Joins Silverstein’s Manhattan Casino Bid

Things got a little more interesting in the always interesting race — well, tortoise-like slog — to see where one of three downstate New York casinos will land.

The New York State Gaming Commission is in the process of issuing up to three casino licenses. Two are widely expected to go to the existing racinos at Yonkers (Empire City by MGM Resorts) and Aqueduct in Queens (Resorts World NYC). 

As for the third? There is plenty of competition and, according to a New York Post exclusive, the group headed by World Trade Center developer Larry Silverstein got a boost this week. Rush Street has joined Silverstein Properties in its bid to build the Avenir, a casino and 46-story mixed use complex at 11th Avenue and 41st Street in Manhattan.

“We are excited to announce our partnership with Rush Street Gaming, as well as Greenwood Gaming and Entertainment, to create a home-grown entertainment complex on Manhattan’s Far West Side,” founder and chairman Larry Silverstein said in a statement, according to the Post.

“Each of our organizations is family-owned, multi-generational, and deeply committed to the neighborhoods in which we work and live. Our company has been part of the West Side for over 40 years, and we look forward to continuing to work together on a project that will bring much needed jobs, tax revenue, economic development, and affordable housing to the City and State.”

“We greatly admire what Silverstein Properties has accomplished in terms of developing important projects in New York City,” said Tim Drehkoff, CEO of Rush Street Gaming. “Our past projects in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and Schenectady were each the first destination casinos in their respective cities, and we look forward to working with Silverstein, Greenwood and the Far West Side community on the Avenir.”

The bidders

This is one of four Manhattan-based bids for the license, with Silverstein and crew battling it out with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and Caesars, which are looking to build in Times Square; The Soloviev Group and Mohegan, which want to build on the Upper East Side near the United Nations Plaza; and Wynn Resorts and Related, which have high hopes for a gaming complex in Hudson Yards on the West Side.

In addition to the Manhattan and racino bids, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock are looking to build a casino complex next to Citi Field, Bally’s is aiming for a Bronx casino, and Saratoga Holdings, Global Gaming Solutions of the Chickasaw Nation, Legends, and Thor Equities seek to erect one on Coney Island.

Final bids are due by the end of June, and it’s widely expected the gaming commission will announce the winners by the end of the calendar year.