Denying Yonkers a Full Casino License Risks Losing a Powerful Economic Engine

By MATTHEW PEPE

The City of Yonkers has faced countless crossroads over the past 153 years since it was incorporated, but it’s likely that the one coming up in the weeks ahead—when the Community Action Committee votes on which application moves forward for a full casino license in downstate New York—will be the difference between gloom or boom for the City of Hills.

One can argue the stakes have never been higher for the municipality. The Committees decision on the applications will be a powerful determinant of Empire City Casino’s fate and the city itself. As one of the region’s largest employers, Empire City stands more to lose if Yonkers is passed over.

The casino here in lower Westchester has a 126-year history of contributing to the local economy. Residents and tourists alike recall its early days as Yonkers Raceway and its evolution into a racino. Empire City is a longstanding contributor to the local community and economy, supporting vendors, benefiting public education and generating tourism revenue.

MGM Resort’s plans for a full casino license will transform Yonkers into a premier entertainment destination. The project will create 6,500 construction jobs and generate more than $1 billion in gross gaming revenue over the coming five years.

As Yonkers largest taxpayer and one of its largest private enterprises, Empire City is a significant contributor to residents’ quality of life, with 35% of its workforce hailing from Yonkers and 50% from Westchester. Behind these numbers are thousands of working families that rely on these jobs as well as the small businesses that depend on this steady stream of vendor contracts.

MGM Resort’s plans for its full casino license are undoubtedly exciting and will transform Yonkers into a premier entertainment destination, create 6,500 construction jobs, spend $50 million annually with local vendors and generate more than $1 billion in gross gaming revenue in the first five years.

But we have to take a step back and ask ourselves one key question: “Can Westchester, and Yonkers—one of the county’s leading economic engines—weather the devastating loss of jobs, investment and tax revenue that would follow if MGM isn’t awarded a full casino license? Will this once-in-a-generation opportunity slip away to New York City?”

Awarding full casino licenses to three other downstate entities would seal Empire City’s fate. Without its own license, the property would be forced to compete against full-scale casinos in its market while facing additional pressure from an anticipated mega-casino at the Meadowlands, just 20 miles away. There is no viable future for Empire City under those conditions.

Failing to award this license would not simply be a missed opportunity, it would be an economic catastrophe. It would mean shuttered doors at one of Yonkers’ largest employers, deep cuts to school funding, and the loss of a powerful economic driver when communities are already reeling from federal funding cuts. Awarding a full casino license for Empire City is the difference between regional revitalization and irreversible decline.

This is the moment for Yonkers, Westchester, and New York State to step up. Empire City’s future is not just a local issue; it is a test of whether New York decision makers will support this investment in its third-largest city, protect good union jobs, and support working-class communities, or let this cornerstone of our economy wither under mounting competition.

Every voice matters. Voice your support at the Sept. 16 Community Advisory Committee hearing, submit your comments to the official email address, and call your local elected officials. The future of Yonkers and the Hudson Valley economy is on the line, and silence is not an option.

About the author: Matthew Pepe is Executive Director of the Building Contractors Association of Westchester & The Mid-Hudson Region, Inc. He can be reached at matthew@cicbca.org.

At-a-Glance - What’s At Stake

Without a full casino license risks: 

  • The closure of MGM Empire City would eliminate 700 permanent jobs;
  • Those workers would lose $88 million in annual wages;
  • Local vendors, within a 20-mile radius, would lose $30 million in annual revenue;
  • New York’s public schools would lose $300 million in funding annually.

This isn’t just a lost opportunity, it’s an economic catastrophe waiting to happen.

Granting Empire City a full casino license:

  • Creates 6,500 construction jobs;
  • Safeguards $300 million in annual funding for New York’s schools;
  • Delivers 2,000 new permanent jobs with strong career paths;
  • Generates $50 million annually for local vendors within a 20-miles;
  • Injects over $1 billion in new economic activity into the region;
  • Produces $34 million in annual gaming tax revenue for Yonkers, plus tens of millions more in property, wage, and sales taxes, and additional revenue for Westchester ($17 million), Rockland ($8.5 million) and Putnam ($8.5 million).

Published: September 15, 2025.

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