Entitlements
Applicants must complete all entitlement processes (land-use/zoning, State Environmental Quality Review Act, etc.) before September 30, 2025.
Such entitlements include:
Land-Use/Zoning:
All applicants must complete the local land-use/zoning process in order to be eligible for consideration by the Board.
The City of New York has amended its zoning code to allow licensed commercial casino gambling as a permitted use by right. However, some potential City-based applicants are required to undergo the Universal Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) due to specific requirements not covered by the amendment, including mapping changes, grading or revocable consent to construct over streets.
For proposals outside the City of New York, each potential applicant must navigate their host municipality’s land-use procedures, thus ensuring another level of local review and approval.
Environmental Reviews:
All Applicants must be substantially complete with the State (and/or City) Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQR, process before submitting an application. SEQR process is lengthy, with the purpose to identify any potential adverse environmental effects of proposed actions, assesses their significance, and propose measures to eliminate or mitigate significant impacts.
Community Advisory Committees
For each application submitted, a Community Advisory Committee (CAC) will be created to review the application, gauge local support, and ultimately issue a finding determining whether there is adequate support for the proposed project. This affirmative finding is a requirement for the application to be considered by the GFLB.
CACs are expected to hold public hearings and will be subject to the New York State Open Meetings Law.
The Commission may hire a consultant to assist and manage the CAC process.
Each CAC will:
- Elect a Chair at its first meeting
- Solicit and review public comments (written, electronic, oral, etc.)
- Hold public meetings
Ultimately, each CAC must hold a vote – with a two-thirds threshold – to establish public support approving or disapproving the application.
The GFLB will consider only applications that are approved by a two-thirds threshold of the applicable CAC.
Community Advisory Committee Membership
The membership of each Community Advisory Committee depends on the proposed site location, with members being appointed by applicable elected officials:
Within New York City (6 members):
- NYS Governor
- NYC Mayor
- Applicable NYS Senator
- Applicable NYS Assemblymember
- Applicable Borough President
- Applicable City Councilmember
Outside NYC (5 members):
- NYS Governor
- Applicable County Executive
- Applicable NYS Senator
- Applicable NYS Assemblymember
- Applicable locality’s senior elected official:
- City: Mayor
- Town: Town Supervisor
- Village: Jointly by the Village Mayor and the Town Supervisor