CIC’s Cooney Makes Case for Granting
Full Casino License to MGM Empire City
YONKERS, NY—In advance of last night’s Community Advisory Committee meeting in Yonkers, Construction Industry Council Executive Director John Cooney, Jr., detailed the enormous economic risks the New York metro region faces if Empire City Casino’s application for a full casino gaming license is denied.
Mr. Cooney noted that the $2.3 billion expansion of Empire City to MGM Empire City Casino will employ approximately 6,500 construction workers and add more than 2,000 new permanent jobs to the facility’s payroll which will generate more than $1 billion in gross gaming revenue in the first five years.
In an opinion piece published by The Journal News (lohud.com) on Sept. 16, Mr. Cooney warned that, in contrast to the promised economic benefits the project portends, the region will suffer severely if Empire City casino’s proposal fails to secure the required approval of the Community Advisory Committee. MGM Empire City Casino is one of possibly three downstate casino license awards that are expected to be handed out by the state’s Gaming Commission in late December 2025.
“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,” Mr. Cooney predicted.
The result would be the eventual closure of MGM Empire City that would eliminate 700 permanent jobs; the loss of $88 million in annual wages; local vendors within a 20-mile radius would lose $30 million in annual revenue; and 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,” Mr. Cooney warned.
“This is the moment for Yonkers, Westchester and New York State to step up,” Mr. Cooney wrote. “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.”
At last night’s hearing at the Montessori Academy, the Community Advisory Committee Chair Jim Cavanaugh said that the next meeting of the CAC will be on Thurs., Sept. 25, at the Yonkers Riverfront Library where it is likely to render a final decision on the Empire City Casino proposal. It has until Sept. 30 to make its ruling.
To read Mr. Cooney’s full opinion piece in the Journal News, go to: https://www.lohud.com/story/opinion/2025/09/16/yonkers-needs-full-casino-license-opinion/86114065007/
Published: September 17, 2025.