If you’ve never been to Flushing Meadows, officially known as the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, for the US Open, you may not know that the iconic home of American tennis has a few interesting neighbors. La Guardia Airport is just a few miles away, and you can walk to the New York Hall of Science Museum within two minutes. The Queens Zoo is also nearby. Another close neighbor is Citi Field, home of the New York Mets. At a faster pace, you can reach a ball game in about 10 minutes after leaving Flushing Meadows.
It should be obvious then that this area is a tourist attraction, and it should come as no surprise that it has been flagged as one of the potential locations for major casino licenses in NYC. Three major casinos are slated to open in and around NYC in the coming years, and competition for one of those licenses has been intense. Steve Cohen, owner of the New York Mets, was one of the favorites for his partnership with Hard Rock. Its casino will be on the doorstep of the home of US tennis. When plans were made, the United States Tennis Association was not happy. It sparked a row, which focused mostly on local events during the US Open.
USTA sued NYC over casino project
In November, Casino.com’s report about the USTA suing NYC laid out the story, detailing how the USTA was rebuffed in its efforts to speak with outgoing Mayor Eric Adams and how it was forced to pursue legal action. The lawsuit said the existence of the Queen’s casino project puts the casino and the US Open at risk. The USTA was against the casino itself. Rather, it was the impact of such a large project on the environment, especially during the US Open. Actually, it came down to parking lots.
The USTA’s argument was simple: it wanted guaranteed access to those parking lots for staff and patrons during the US Open. As such, it has been argued that major casino events will hurt access to the US Open if they happen at the same time. You can see the USTA’s point. Most elite sporting events can be a parking nightmare, so it can be even worse if, say, a big music concert is happening next door. However, as the row continued, the USTA had an ace up its sleeve to fight the casino – the so-called “Superiority Clause”.
The Superiority Clause in the USTA’s contract with the city basically states the following: “During the 23 days of the US Open, anything else that happens in a nearby park must be ‘low and low’ to the competition.” You don’t need to be a lawyer to understand that legalese is tough. The US Open comes first. As it turns out, it was enough to get a judge to side with the USTA, blocking any attempts by the city to sign a casino deal until it respects the USTA’s terms.
A surprisingly quick solution
In the end, things were resolved quickly and surprisingly amicably. The casino backers revised the contract language, agreeing that the USTA has “superiority” on the property, including those parking lots, during the 23 days of the US Open. Casino sponsors have promised that there will be no conflicting events during the tournament. Technically, the lawsuit has not been dropped, as the USTA will wait and see if the casino group’s actions match their words, but the dialogue has changed, with the USTA even saying it looks forward to welcoming its “new neighbor” to the area.
On December 1, Cohen and his partners got their wish. The Metropolitan Park casino project has been selected, next to Resorts World New York City (Queens, updating the “racino” on Aqueduct into a full casino) and Bally’s New York Casino (The Bronx). There will be a final inspection by the New York State Gaming Board, but it looks like all parties are satisfied. And it looks like the USTA will indeed get an interesting new neighbor.
