While more legal New York casinos are on the way, Las Vegas Sands will not be one of them. Despite previous interest to obtain a New York gambling license, the established global casino and resort company has withdrawn its bid.
In a press release shared on Wednesday, April 23, Las Vegas Sands announced it will no longer pursue the opportunity to launch a casino at the site of Nassau Coliseum on Long Island, noting a major concern of the imminent legalization of online casinos in New York.
“The company remains concerned about the impact of the potential legalization of iGaming on the overall market opportunity and project returns,” the release said.
Several factors appear to be involved in the decision by Las Vegas Sands, including the company’s Asia properties and financial implications of tariff changes with President Donald Trump. Additionally, there is speculation around the difficulty to obtain a license.
“We’re very disappointed by New York,” said Las Vegas Sands CEO Rob Goldstein in a past earnings call with investors. “We’ve been working there for a long time and we thought it would happen in 2024. Now, they’re saying 2025 or 2026. We don’t have any clarity and to be honest, it’s confusing and disappointing.”
According to Bryan O’Dwyer, Chair of the New York State Gaming Commission, the state is still planning to grant up to three retail casino licenses by the end of 2025. While it’s been an arduous process, O’Dwyer does not foresee it taking longer than the end of the year.
“It’s been a long process but I do not perceive anything that will stop us from having the licensing action by December 31,” O’Dwyer said in an interview published on the City and State NY website.
Despite the change of plans from Las Vegas Sands, there are still several other options. Whether they launch at Nassau Coliseum or elsewhere, other candidates include Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock, Wynn, Bally’s, Genting Resorts World, Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and others.
Aside from Nassau Coliseum, there are other potential locations for retail casinos in New York. One of the most prominent would be a Hard Rock branded complex near Citi Field, the home of the New York Mets, with backing from Mets owner Steve Cohen.
New York officially launched legal sports betting apps and online sites in 2022, but online casinos are still not legal.
In January 2025, Senator Joseph Addabbo introduced Senate Bill S2614 to potentially legalize online casinos, but the bill has not yet been passed. The bill would allow for up to 31 additional licenses. If the bill is passed, some New York online casinos could potentially launch in late 2025 or early 2026.
While New York residents and visitors await online casinos, there are still several legal gambling options, including retail casinos, sports betting apps, and sweepstakes casinos.
For those looking to gamble in person, here are the current legal brick-and-mortar casinos in New York, offering a variety of slots, table games, poker rooms and more:
While additional licenses could become available in the future, the New York State Gaming Commission currently only allows for nine mobile and online sports betting operators. Here’s the most recent list of all legal New York sportsbooks.
