The move by MGM Resorts International – first reported by Crain’s and confirmed by The Post – to withdraw an application to expand its existing Empire City outpost leaves a trio of contenders for three coveted state gaming licenses.

Empire City Casino in Yonkers abruptly ended its bid for a license upgrade and a $1.7 billion expansion after MGM said the economic factors changed.

MGM was a leading contender to win one of the state's three casino licenses before pulling their bid Tuesday night, and whittling the field down to three.

In a move that stunned local officials, MGM Resorts on Tuesday pulled Empire City Casino in Yonkers from the race for a limited number of casino licenses in New York. The sudden reversal has the city’s mayor calling for an investigation into whether President Donald Trump could have influenced the decision.

One of the four remaining applicants for a New York State casino license has withdrawn its name from the running. MGM’s Empire Casino in Yonkers withdrew its commercial casino license application on Tuesday after its Community Advisory Committee passed it to the next phase of approval in September.

Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano says he wants a full investigation saying, "Something doesn't add up here. The people of Yonkers deserve answers."

Empire City Casino's bid for a new license and $1.7 billion expansion moved forward with a committee's approval to vie with NYC casino plans.

The City Council president leads all meetings of the City Council and acts as a city-wide ombudsman responding to individual constituent requests and community concerns. The council president is also a voting member of all committees of the City Council, the Board of Contract and Supply as well as the Community Development Agency.

MGM on Tuesday unexpectedly withdrew its casino license application for Empire City in Yonkers. The mayor said “something doesn’t add up.”

In the third quarter of 2025, the median asking rent in New York City reached $3,599, up 5.4% from a year ago, according to the third quarter NYC Rent Report from Realtor.com®. While New York rents fell sharply during the pandemic,

The pipe-wielding screwball who allegedly whacked two women and a teenage girl during a five-hour rampage in the Bronx was ordered held on bail Thursday by the same judge he faced last week who