Nas Is a Key Factor in Queens Casino Win, Edging Out Jay-Z
Queens’ push for a full downstate casino cleared a major checkpoint on September 25, when the six-member Community Advisory Committee (CAC) voted 6–0 to advance Resorts World New York City’s bid at Aqueduct Racetrack in South Ozone Park. The Queens CAC held two public hearings at Borough Hall before the vote and will now forward its recommendation to the state’s Gaming Facility Location Board (GFLB) for the next stage of review.
The CAC stage is essential in New York’s competitive casino process. They cast their votes for Resorts World on the same day that Yonkers’ MGM Empire City—another long-operating racino—won its own CAC approval (5–0), positioning both existing properties as frontrunners.
Parent company Genting has outlined a $5–$5.5 billion expansion that would transform the current racino into a full integrated resort if it secures one of the state’s three downstate commercial licenses. Current filings and company materials describe a roughly 5.6-million-square-foot complex with a 500,000-square-foot gaming floor (about 6,000 slots and up to 800 table games), approximately 2,000 hotel rooms, a 7,000-seat entertainment venue, 30-plus bars and restaurants, and structured parking for more than 7,000 vehicles.
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‘Queens Get the Money’
Queens native Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, known worldwide as the rapper Nas, has been the public face of Resorts World’s “Next Chapter” bid, appearing in campaign materials and at events backing the Aqueduct expansion. The unanimous CAC vote was widely framed as a marquee win for the project and its most famous ambassador.
The Queens approval landed the same week Manhattan proposals hit a wall: community-level panels rejected bids in Hudson Yards, near the UN, and Jay-Z’s Times Square opportunity. His company, Roc Nation, partnered with SL Green and Caesars Entertainment on the Caesars Palace in Times Square casino proposal at 1515 Broadway. That bid was voted down by Manhattan’s Community Advisory Committee in mid-September 2025.
Celebrating the hometown win, Queens Borough President Donovan Richards quotes the name of a Nas song in his statement, “There’s a theme in Queens, and I know that Nas was a part of this. ‘Queens get the money.’ Sorry, Jay-Z, we win again.” The last line was a jab at the Marcy Projects rapper, who also lost a well-known rap-battle feud with Nas several years ago.
Nas is synonymous with Queens. Although he was born in Brooklyn, he was raised in the Queensbridge Houses in Long Island City, and that neighborhood shaped his voice, storytelling, and career. Along with rappers like Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, Nicki Minaj and 50 Cent, Nas is cemented as a Queens icon. His involvement in Resorts World’s bid was undoubtedly a huge asset.
What This Could Mean for Southeast Queens
With CAC approvals complete, applications move to the GFLB for scoring and recommendations. The state’s schedule calls for Board selections by December 1, 2025, followed by final licensure by December 31, 2025. These timelines are intended to lock in license-fee revenue by the end of the year.
If the state signs off at that time, Resorts World would flip from a slots-only operation into a full Las Vegas–style resort with live table games, large-scale entertainment, and thousands of permanent and construction jobs. Supporters say the plan builds on an already-operating organization instead of starting from scratch, and could channel new hospitality, nightlife, and visitor-spending into Southeast Queens while adding on-site training and innovation space. Critics, as with casino debates citywide, continue to weigh in on concerns about traffic, gambling harm, and neighborhood character.
Meanwhile in northern Queens, the separate “Metropolitan Park” bid near Citi Field, backed by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock, continues to draw intense interest and opposition. A final public hearing earlier this month ended abruptly amid clashes, underscoring how charged casino siting has become.
This unanimous decision from CAC gives Resorts World a clear inside track heading into the state’s final decision window. With a high-profile hometown partnership and a shovel-ready footprint, Resorts World now waits on the GFLB to decide if Resorts World’s next chapter becomes reality or all the fanfare eventually becomes a blip on the proverbial radar.
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