When Resorts World, Bally's, and Hard Rock International simultaneously secured casino licenses in Downstate New York in December 2025, the fate of the three operators was firmly tied to the same racetrack. Resorts World took the lead—its Queens-based Resorts World New York officially launched the first phase of expansion last week. By fully utilizing the existing space, it took only five months from license approval to opening its doors to guests. Meanwhile, Bally's and Hard Rock's New York projects are both aiming for a single-phase opening in 2030. During this long waiting period, the two companies were not idle—Bally's is vigorously advancing its $1.8 billion flagship casino in Chicago, and Hard Rock just held a topping-out ceremony for its iconic guitar-shaped hotel tower on the Las Vegas Strip. These three licenses will not only reshape the gambling landscape of New York City but are also simultaneously leveraging the skylines and political agendas of two major gambling cities, Chicago and Las Vegas.
Resorts World opens first, exchanging high tax rates for years of exclusive operation
The early opening of Resorts World New York was no coincidence. Originally a video lottery facility, its core advantage was that it did not need to start from scratch but only needed to transform the existing vacant space into a gaming area that meets the standards of a Class III casino. Resorts World paid a price of a high tax system that it alone would bear before the other two operators officially commenced operations—slot machine revenue tax rate as high as 63%, and table games tax rate at 30%. Once Bally's and Hard Rock officially open around 2030, these tax rates will drop to 25% and 10%, respectively. Cushman & Wakefield estimates that once all three casinos are operational, the annual gross gaming revenue of the Downstate New York market will climb to $5.6 billion after 2031. At the opening ceremony on April 28, Resorts World brought rapper Nas to the center stage—he was the spokesperson in the Resorts World license bid, while his former competitor Jay-Z was the sponsor of the Caesars Times Square project (rejected during the committee stage). Resorts World's Executive Chairman Lim Kok Thay threw the ceremonial first dice, and Nas told CNBC that Queens is the real home field.
Bally's Chicago countdown: The September deadline and the pending HB 4437
As Hard Rock advances in the west and Resorts World in the east, Bally's is racing against time in the Midwest. Its $1.8 billion flagship casino in Chicago held a topping-out ceremony on April 30, and Bally's Chairman Kim Soo-kun called it a "game-changing project." However, the opening time of this casino—recently confirmed by Kim Soo-kun to be in the first quarter of 2027—has far exceeded the baseline allowed by current regulations. Bally's temporary casino, operational since September 9, 2023, is legally only allowed to exist for three years, with this deadline pressing on September 9, 2026.
To maintain the operation of the temporary casino before the permanent casino opens, Bally urgently needs the Illinois legislature to pass HB 4437—a bill that would provide up to an additional 18 months of operation window for the temporary casino. The legislative session in Illinois will adjourn on May 31, and this bill has been lying in the House Rules Committee without movement since March 27. Kim Soo-kun told the Chicago Sun-Times he is not worried, believing that everyone understands this is reasonable. During construction, Bally faced several delays due to design changes, demolition debris falling into the Chicago River, and the appearance of unapproved contractors suspected of having gang affiliations at the site, after which it urgently raised over $900 million in financing through gaming and leisure real estate.
PASA official website continues to track the major project progress and license competition dynamics of North American gambling giants, noting that the landing of these three New York licenses is synchronously reshaping the competitive landscapes of the East Coast, Midwest, and West Coast's core gambling cities—Resorts World is enjoying years of exclusive benefits, Hard Rock is laying the foundation for the future skyline of Las Vegas, and whether Bally can keep the temporary operation window in Chicago will depend on the political decisions in Springfield in the next four weeks.
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This article is from "PASA-Global iGaming Leaders," a gambling industry news channel: https://t.me/pasa_news
Original in-depth gambling channel: https://t.me/gamblingdeep
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PASA Matrix: @pasa002_bot
PASA official website: https://www.pasa.news
