A Socialist Casino?

The Republican Party, mainstream Democrats and even President Donald Trump threw everything at him to prevent him from winning. But on Election Day in November, Zohran Mamdani was anointed the next mayor of New York City in a landslide.

Some called it a generational change as the Ugandan-born, Indian heritage Mamdani promised the world to city voters. And they apparently bought it—free child care, free transit rides, free groceries, free rent and much more. They called it his “affordability agenda.”

The question, of course, is, “How is he going to pay for it?” Mamdani’s looking for $10 billion for housing, $1 billion for a new “community safety” department, at least half a billion for transit subsidies, and untold billions for child care and government-owned supermarkets.

The mayor expects to get $5 billion in revenue from higher corporate taxes and $4 billion from a 2 percent income tax surcharge on salaries of more than $1 million. But it doesn’t take a mathematician to realize that won’t be enough.

So where else can Mamdani raise money? How about from three new casinos? The existing racino at Aqueduct, Resorts World New York City, is to become a Class III casino resort. A massive new casino resort is planned at Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, owned by billionaire Steve Cohen and branded as a Hard Rock. Another facility owned by Bally’s is to rise on the former Trump golf course in the Bronx.

While there’s no concrete plan to provide the city with either tax revenue or contributions once those operations are in place, they all have pledged to spend hundreds of millions on community reinvestment. Could the new mayor hijack some of those funds? 

Mamdani was a vocal opponent of casinos in his former role as a state lawmaker, so can he stop the casino process before it even gets started? During his campaign he was quoted as saying, “Gambling is haram,” an Arabic word meaning forbidden.

But apparently he’s had a change of heart. He recognizes that he doesn’t have the power to change anything after a long and painful process that resulted in a state board recommending approval of the three casinos. “The siting and the choices of which casinos will open, that pertains to the state,” he said.

Mamdani was supported by the city’s Hotel and Gaming Trades Council. “I’m excited to stand here alongside the union as it continues to fight for the ability of the workers to survive off the wages they are paid,” he said. That must bring tears to the eyes of the successful casino bidders who will seek to negotiate acceptable union contracts with the council, along with many other unions active in New York.

There’s still a long way to go before a shovel hits the ground. Prior to a final decision on approval from the New York State Gaming Commission, which was due by December 31, commission Chairman Brian O’Dwyer outlined the criteria. “The question is, who does best for the community—and the state of New York—in terms of tax revenues?” 

That must be sweet music to Zohran Mamdani. But can casinos co-exist with democratic socialism? Only time will tell.