Designs by SHoP, HKS among three casinos officially coming to New York City

New York State's Gaming Commission has officially awarded three casino licenses to projects in the Bronx and Queens, designed by studios Field Operations, Gensler, Perkins Eastman and more.

The three projects have been whittled down over the past year from a list of eight that were submitted to New York state in a contentious battle to win coveted licenses to expand or build full casinos in the city.

The awarded projects are Hard Rock Metropolitan Park (Metropoliation Park) by SHoP Architects and Field Operations in Queens, Resorts World New York City (Resorts World) by Perkins Eastman also in Queens, and Bally's Bronx Casino (Bally's) by HKS and Gensler in the Bronx.

Metropolitan Park and Bally's will require ground-up builds, while the Resorts World New York City project is an expansion of an already existing "racino" property, an abridged casino, near JFK airport.

The approvals were aired via a public meeting by the Gaming Commission, held on 15 December.

"To all three who have been granted this conditional license, congratulations on behalf of the state of New York," said New York Gaming Commission chairman Brian O'Dwyer. "We look forward to seeing the jobs, economic development, infrastructure, and gaming revenue come to fruition."

"You all have a difficult charge ahead of you, along with great responsibility, and you can be assured that this commission takes our responsibility in keeping your feet to the fire."

According to a document submitted by the Gaming Facility Location Board, another entity that was part of the approval process, additions across all three projects include hotels, parking garages, event centres, night and dayclubs, retail, restaurants, bars, a golf course and a large park designed by SHoP Architects and Field Operations as part of the Metropolitan Park project.

Perkins Eastman's expansion to Resorts World is projected to start opening as soon as March 2026, although full completion is slated for 2031.

"An elegant expansion for New York City's only casino includes a modern hotel, new state-of-the-art gaming and meeting spaces, and superior dining and retail establishments," said Perkins Eastman on its website.

"Limiting any disruption of operations during design and construction, the team's approach put the client and guests first and ensures design cohesion for the major hotel and entertainment venue."

Bally's Bronx, which includes building out casino venues on top of a pre-existing, riverside golf course in the Bronx, is slated for 2030 completion. HKS designed the project, with Gensler as the interior designer.

Metropolitan Park is slated for a 2030 opening. Renders of the project show a Hard Rock Hotel and Casino located next to Citi Field stadium, with a park spread out between them.

The project has been heavily backed by Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, who play at Citi Field, while rapper Nas is a partner for Resorts World.

Other high-profile studios and celebrities were attached to now-rejected projects, such as BIG and CetraRuddy, and rapper Jay-Z, who was backing a casino proposed for Times Square.

The projects have also drawn continued scrutiny, with concerns over gambling addiction and negative impacts to the surrounding local communities.

SOM was also linked to a casino project in Hudson Yards, which did not move forward. Elsewhere, Zaha Hadid Architects recently released a design for a nightclub and casino in a Bahamas marina.

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