New Delhi, Oct. 17 -- Albany trades sizzle for spreadsheets as Queens and the Bronx vie for the country's richest urban casino license

QUEENS - At 4 p.m. on Oct. 14, New York's casino contest moved from renderings to arithmetic. Three remaining contenders, Resorts World at Aqueduct in Queens, Bally's pursuit at Ferry Point in the Bronx, and the Hard Rock-backed plan beside Citi Field, delivered the supplemental filings the state demanded, a technical addendum that forces bidders to replace slogan with spreadsheet. The filings cap a month that also saw a decisive Queens panel advance the Citi Field district and put Manhattan's ambitions firmly in the rearview after a run of borough-wide rejections.

The supplemental step is not cosmetic. ...