- The New York State Gaming Commission awarded a 20-year downstate casino license to Metropolitan Park, the Steve Cohen and Hard Rock project next to Citi Field, on Dec. 15, 2025.
- Plans for the $8.1 billion development include roughly 5,000 slot machines and about 400 table games, so craps will eventually be part of the floor.
- The casino is targeting a June 2030 opening, and early construction work began in February 2026.
- A dispute with the U.S. Tennis Association over the Citi Field parking lots was largely resolved by a November 2025 lease that protected the U.S. Open’s priority rights.
- A separate lawsuit filed by Queens residents in March 2026 seeks to overturn the license, and a judge’s recusal in April revived the challenge after an earlier dismissal.
NEW YORK – Live craps is coming to the Citi Field casino, but not soon, and not without a fight. Steve Cohen’s Metropolitan Park is not expected to open until around 2030, and a lawsuit that was recently revived could complicate the path.
A 20-Year License Next to the Ballpark
Metropolitan Park is a joint venture between New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International. It would turn roughly 50 acres of Citi Field parking in Willets Point, Queens, into a casino resort with a gaming floor, a Hard Rock hotel, restaurants, an entertainment venue and public parkland. The New York State Gaming Commission awarded the project a 20-year license on Dec. 15, 2025, the longest of the three downstate licenses, reflecting its larger financial commitment.
When Craps Reaches the Citi Field Casino Floor
Plans for the roughly $8.1 billion project call for about 5,000 slot machines and about 400 table games, including a poker room. That is more than enough capacity for craps to take its place alongside the other dice and card games once the doors open. The developers are targeting a June 2030 opening, and early construction preparation on the parking lots began in February 2026.
For now, the closest place to roll the dice inside the city is Resorts World in Queens, which became the first full-scale casino in New York City to deal table games in 2026.
Players weighing their choices can see where the game stands across the state in our guide to legal craps in New York.
The Legal Cloud Over the Project
Metropolitan Park spent much of its approval fighting opposition, and the litigation is not over. The U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the U.S. Open across the street at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, sued the city in November 2025, arguing that a casino could trample the tournament’s priority rights to the parking lots. A judge briefly blocked the city from finalizing a deal. The dispute eased when the city and the developers signed a lease on Nov. 17, 2025 that included a superiority clause protecting the Open, and the USTA said it was satisfied with the language.
A newer challenge is still live. On March 20, 2026, five Queens residents tied to the Queens Anti-Casino Coalition asked a court to overturn the license, arguing that public hearings violated the state’s Open Meetings Law and that regulators failed to properly weigh the moral character of the applicants. They pointed in part to the guilty plea years ago by Cohen’s former hedge fund, SAC Capital, in a major insider trading case. Cohen himself was not charged. A judge dismissed the petition in late March on the grounds that it was filed in the wrong venue, but the case was revived in April after the assigned judge recused himself, citing a social relationship with a member of the commission. It was reassigned to a new judge.
A Timeline Tied to the Courts
None of the litigation has stopped early work at the site, and the developers continue to point toward the end of the decade. Whether legal craps arrives at Citi Field on schedule may depend as much on the courts as on the construction crews.
As Queens prepares for a casino of this size, residents and advocates have raised concerns about gambling addiction and the strain on the surrounding neighborhood. Players should set firm limits and treat the game as entertainment.