New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- NEW YORK - In a move that reeks of backroom deals and billionaire bullying, Steve Cohen, the hedge fund titan turned Mets owner, has muscled his way to victory in New York's cutthroat casino licensing wars. On December 1, 2025, the state gaming board greenlit his $8 billion Queens casino, a sprawling Hard Rock casino complex plopped right on the Citi Field parking lot, capping years of political arm-twisting, internal sabotage, and what insiders call a "license to print money" built on ethical quicksand.

The approval hands Cohen control over one of three precious downstate casino licenses, transforming 78 acres of asphalt into a glittering gambling mecca promising 15,000 construction jobs, 5,000 permanent positions, ...