Rollin’ on East River
Midtown casino plan
Manhattan’s East River waterfront is being eyed as a spot for a “Monte Carlo”-style casino that would immediately become the world’s “hottest” gambling facility, its promoter says.
The planned East River casino submitted to the state Gaming Commission is the brainchild of Water Club restaurateur Michael “Buzzy” O’Keeffe and would be located next to the floating eatery off East 30th Street.
At least nine casino operators expressed interest to vie for three downstate-casino licenses, according to preliminary outlines submitted to the gaming commission.
It was not clear from O’Keeffe’s proposal who would be his partner to operate the gaming side of things.
He envisioned offering gamblers “classic” table games and no slot machines.
“In the Borough of Manhattan, from river to river, this is the most viable location to place a smaller boutique (Monte Carlo) style casino that is easily expandable,” O’Keeffe wrote in his proposal. “An upscale Monte Carlo style casino on the East Side, Mid-Manhattan, and very visible along the FDR Drive on the East River.”
The casino would be 24,000 square feet and have a modest, 100-car parking lot.
O’Keeffe said 450 feet of “open deep-water pier” could be used to build more gaming space or “float in a custom casino.”
O’Keeffe, who also owns the waterfront River Cafe in Brooklyn’s DUMBO section, emphasized that high rollers could access the casino from the nearby heliport and private ferry service. River gambling is the way to go, he said.
“New York, The World’s Capital, should have a beautiful and upscale casino so maybe the next James Bond can play a hand of poker in New York,” he said. “One casino in Manhattan will end up as the hottest casino in the world.”
Other casino operators who submitted proposals are MGM Resorts and Genting. MGM owns Empire City casino at Yonkers Raceway and Genting runs Resorts World at Aqueduct Racetrack. Both operators would be interested in applying for a license to convert their slots parlors into full-fledged casinos.
Others who submitted preliminary proposals: Bally’s, Las Vegas Sands Corp., Wynn Resorts, Hard Rock International, UE Resorts, which operates the Okada casino in Manila; and Rush Street Gaming, which operates a casino in upstate Schenectady.