There is still no plan in sight for the first round of responses in the downstate New York casino licensing process.
In February, Robert Williams, the executive director of the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC), suggested that answers to the first round of questions in the NYC casinos request for applications (RFA) process could be expected within three weeks.
However, now, almost three months after that statement, Williams admitted his mistake, saying, “I was wrong.”
The Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB), responsible for addressing those questions, reportedly received over 600 inquiries from potential applicants. In an effort to properly evaluate each question and ensure consistency in response, the process of addressing those questions is still ongoing.
As Williams mentioned during Monday’s NYSGC meeting, there is currently no set timetable for the first round of responses.
Still patiently waiting on Circular 1 solutions for downstate NY internet casinos
Early in 2023, the GFLB officially began the downstate licensing process by releasing a 70-page RFA to interested parties.
The first step in the RFA required potential applicants to submit inquiries to the GFLB by February 3. The board would then have 30 days to respond to those inquiries, with a target date of around March 6 for the answers.
On March 2, the GFLB posted on their website that they had received “several hundred questions” and that their staff was reviewing them and drafting proposed responses for the board’s consideration and approval. A month went by, and in early April, it was announced that the GFLB would need another week to finalize the responses.
As of now, we are still waiting.
“While the responses are taking longer than expected, it’s important to understand that the Q&As are a crucial step in the RFA process, allowing for the clarification of requirements and necessary adjustments to the RFA,” Williams said during Monday’s meeting. “Taking the time to do this right is crucial.
“And to be clear, there is no statutory or RFA-mandated deadline for the response to each round of questions. It was intentionally left open-ended to allow the staff and the Gaming Facility Location Board members to thoroughly assess each question and provide consistent and cohesive responses.”
When can we see Circular 1 concerns for downstate NY internet casinos?
Williams made it clear that there is “no expectation as to when the first round will be complete.”
The NYSGC executive director emphasized that the staff is continuing to diligently review, answer, and refine the over 600 questions that were submitted as part of the first round and draft responses to each.
He later added, “All of the questions and answers to the questions, given the scope of the process and the weight the answers carry, they all deserve a thorough and robust consideration.”
Once the GFLB releases its responses, potential applicants will have 30 days to submit a second round of questions. After another 30-day period for GFLB responses, according to the initial RFA, the actual application process will commence, along with the participant appointment to Community Advisory Committees, which will review applications, assess local support, and ultimately issue a finding determining whether there is adequate support for the proposed project in each location.
As evident, this process is expected to take some time before the state issues licenses for three downstate NY casinos.
During a recent earnings call, William Hornbuckle, CEO and president of MGM Resorts International, stated that the company intends to submit an official application “this summer” with the hopes of receiving a response “in the first half of next year.”
Meanwhile, Robert O’Dwyer, chair of the NYSGC, made it clear during Monday’s meeting that the state will take its time.
“As you may recall, while the site selection committee makes the final determination on the three licenses, once that’s done, then this commission must make a determination as to whether those three entities should be licensed to operate a casino in New York,” O’Dwyer said.
“I’m looking to put everyone on notice that this is not going to be rubber-stamped by this commission. Individuals who may have backgrounds that may need to be looked at will be looked at. And we will be very, very careful to ensure that, once again, the casinos are operated with the utmost integrity.”
Grant Lucas is the senior managing editor for PlayNY. As a long-time and award-winning sports writer, Grant has been covering gambling and legal betting since 2018, starting with his reporting on the New Jersey and Pennsylvania industries. He now oversees PlayNY as New York expands legalized gambling to include sports betting and online casino gaming.
