Mets owner Steve Cohen, other casino bidders among top spenders as record $138M pledged to lobby NYC

Mets owner Steve Cohen and other casino bidders are going all in.

Six of the 10 top spenders lobbying the New York City government last year were casino bidders, spearheading a record $138 million on schmoozing Mayor Eric Adams and other elected and agency officials for assistance.

In all, pro-casino interests spent more than $6 million on lobbyists to win over support, according to data and the annual report compiled by the city Clerk’s Office.

The $138 million in overall spending on lobbying is a jump of over $7 million from $130.96 million in 2023, the report said.

“This level of spending for casinos was the full employment act for lobbyists in 2024,” said John Kaehny, executive director of the government watchdog group Reinvent Albany.

Chimed in Blair Horner of the New York Public Interest Research Group, “Casinos are looking to load the dice by hiring an army of lobbyists to cash in on the casino contracts.”

Cohen and his Queens Future firm proposing a Metropolitan Park casino complex in Willets Point next to Citi Field — in partnership with Seminole Hard Rock — spent more than $2 million combined on lobbying.

But the figure is chump change for Cohen, the billionaire hedge fund mogul who pledged nearly $800 million to land free agent baseball star Juan Soto and whose philanthropy includes donating $116 million to LaGuardia Community College and spreading his wealth to other community groups.

Cohen is one of scores of bidders applying for up to three state casino licenses in the New York City region, expected to be approved by gaming officials by year’s end.

Genting’s Resorts World slots parlor next to Aqueduct Racetrack, which wants a license to offer live table games, spent $990,000, according to the clerk’s office.

Bally’s, which is pitching a casino next to the former Trump Ferry Point golf course in The Bronx, spent $914,000.

East River Realty/ Stefan Soloviev and Mohegan Sun bidding to build a “Freedom” casino along the East River spent $613,000.

Wynn NYC-Related Companies, a partnership pushing to build a casino in Hudson Yards, spent at least $579,000 records.

The consortium bidding to build the “Coney’ casino in Coney Island dished out $488,000. It includes Thor Equities, gaming operators Saratoga Casino Holdings and The Chickasaw Nation and Legends, the sports and entertainment firm co-owned by the Yankees.

SL Green/Caesars Entertainment/Roc Nation bid for a Times Square casino also put chips on the table. 

Caesar’s spent $162,000 on lobbying contracts, and SL Green retained four lobbying firms for its portfolio of projects with at least $100,000 covering the Times Square bid.

Many of the casino bidders need land use approved from city planners, the Adams administration and the City Council to proceed.

Other top 10 spenders include the New York State Trial Lawyers, which spent $797,037 on issues including the insurance crisis enveloping the yellow taxi industry, records show.

Cable giant Charter Communications — which owns Spectrum and local news channel NY1 — spent $630,500 on lobbying to track legislation to expand broadband access and focus on its franchise renewal.

RAI Service Company/Reynolds American tobacco company spent $574,704 to block legislation to ban menthol cigarettes.

Healthcare giant Northwell Health, which owns Lenox Hill hospital, spent $485,315 while it navigates expansion of its Upper East Side facility.

While casino bidders spent big bucks, nearly a third of lobbying — 31% — was on issues involving the real estate, construction, engineering and development industry; followed by technology, telecommunications and other media at 8%, and 5% each on education, health/mental health and banking/financial services; 4% on transportation and 3% each on the environment, sports & entertainment, and the labor sector, per the report.

As for specific subjects, nearly a third of lobbying focused on city budget issues, followed by 27% on city board and commission rulings including on real property, 19% on legislation and 9% on procurement contracts, the report said.

Suri Kasirer LLC was again the top lobbying firm in the city, racking up more than $17 million in compensation, followed by Bolton-St. John with $10.4647 million, Pita Bishop & DelGiorno with $6.78 million, and Constantinople & Vallone $6 million.

Cohen’s firm has14 lobbying outfits on its payroll including the Mirram Group, co-run by former Bronx Democratic leader Robert Ramirez and Luis Miranda, the father of playwright Lin Manuel-Miranda; former Bronx Democratic Party chairman Marcos Crespo; Tusk Strategies, whose principals include Bradly Tusk and Chris Coffey, both of whom worked for former Mayor Mike Bloomberg; former Queens Councilman Julissa Ferrera-Copeland/Hollis Public Affairs; and Moonshot Strategies, co-founded by Jenny Sedlis, who previously ran a pro- Adams Super Pac and pro-charter school group.