New York Mets Owner Wants To Double-Down On Stadium Area

As reported here last Thursday, a new soccer stadium for the NYC Football Club will be constructed just outside of Citi Field in the Willets Point area of Queens in New York City. As reported, the project includes a 250-room hotel and 2,500 housing units. Developing the surrounding area of the Mets home ballpark and the U.S. Open Tennis Center is a major win for New York sports fans. Now it looks like Amazin's billionaire owner Steve Cohen is looking for his own win.

In a report by Rich Calder of nypost.com, Cohen is focused on securing one of three downstate casino licenses that the New York State legislature plans to make available. According to the report, the Mets owner would like to build a casino in the Citi Field parking lot and build a multi-level garage to accommodate the game-day commerce. “They view the stadium plan as big selling point for the casino,” said a City Hall operative. “Anything that shows the state that more people will be coming to the Willets Point area will only help the casino plan.”

In an incredible twist of fate, the report says that Steve Cohen’s main competition to secure one of these casino license includes Related Companies, which is partnering with none-other-than, former Mets owners Fred and Jeff Wilpon’s Sterling Equities. Can you imagine anyone in New York awarding the Wilpons with anything related to the Mets? Haven't they caused enough pain before they screw up a casino or worse, they profit a dime more from Mets fans.