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All three casino projects slated for New York City won approval by the New York State Gaming Commission on Monday, paving the way for the first full-scale gambling operations to operate legally within the city itself. The approvals were announced during Monday’s New York State Gaming Commission meeting and included Queens Future, LLC’s Hard Rock Metropolitan Park, Genting New York, LLC’s Resorts World New York City, and Bally’s Corporation’s Bally’s Bronx projects.
Formal approval follows earlier clearance
Earlier this month, state officials gave the initial approval for all three licenses, so the formal approval doesn’t come as a huge surprise. The formal approval, decided upon today, hinged on the “security, fitness and background” of the applicants, all of which have been previously laid out. The licenses were issued under the condition that companies appoint outside monitors to ensure they comply with state law and abide by their promises and local investments made to communities.
Details of the approved casino proposals
For those who haven’t yet been familiarized with the proposals that were approved today, ReadWrite has compiled a table below for easy reference:
Casino ProjectLocationCostSizeGamesHard Rock Metropolitan ParkFlushing, Queens$8.1 Billion78 Acres5,000 Slots, 375 Table Games, 30 Poker Tables, 18,000 Sq. Ft. SportsbookBally’s BronxFerry Point, Bronx$4 Billion16 Acres3,500 Slots, 250 Table Games, Poker RoomResorts World New York CityJamaica, Queens$5.6 Billion500,000 Sq. Ft. (Expansion of existing property)6,000 Slots, 800 Table Games

Expected fiscal impact for the state and beyond
While no approved casinos fall within the bounds of what many consider the borough most synonymous with finances, Manhattan, they do still anticipate a large financial impact. Aside from approximately $1.5 billion in casino licensing fees going to New York State, there are additional financial benefits to be had. The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board projects incremental gaming tax revenue to total $7 billion between 2027 and 2036. Additionally, the Location Board projected that state and local taxes would generate approximately $5.9 billion.
Notable financial beneficiaries of the projects include Nas, who is a backer of Resorts World New York City, and the Trump Organization, which would receive $115 million upon Bally’s being granted a license, as the property is located next to a golf course, of which Bally’s bought the lease from the Trump Organization.
Multi-year approval process
The process itself has been lengthy and has involved numerous considerations. To provide context, the Gaming Facility Location Board’s initial request for applications was released on January 3, 2023 – nearly three years before final approvals were awarded. It is also worth noting that considerable work was done prior to the official Request for Applications being released. Of course, it goes without saying that there is still a long way to go from this point.
Opening dates and schedules are still developing
It’s unclear when these approvals will result in fully realized casino projects being launched, although Genting has stated that it plans to have hundreds of table games available by the end of March 2026. Genting has perhaps the easiest road ahead of all approved proposals, as it already operates the existing Resorts World New York City Casino on the grounds of the Aqueduct Racetrack. ReadWrite will report on future timelines as they become available.
Featured Image: Patrick Tomasso/Unsplash

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Gaming-related crime rate rose by 70% across 2025 in Macau, compared to the previous year, according to statistics from senior legal and governmental security figures.
The data, provided by the region’s Government Security Service (GSS), showed that the first three quarters of the year yielded increased results.
Although there is a makeweight in the reporting, the GSS attributes some of the increased figures to updated legislative and statistical reporting following the enactment of new laws.
Macau’s GSS reports increased gaming-related crime statistics
Key pieces of reporting have been released by the GSS in 2025, including the most recent, the January–September 2025 Crime Statistics and Law Enforcement Summary (December 2025), and the Assessment of the Impact of the Gaming Industry on Macau’s Public Security (September 2025).
Both paint a picture of criminal gaming affecting people and businesses in the Special Administrative Region (SAR) off the south coast of China, and of the impact of the Anti-Illegal Gambling Crime Law, which took effect in October 2024.
Secretary for Security Chan Tsz King recently presented the figures at a Government Information Bureau (GCS) conference on crime statistics.
Security Secretary sets out statistics for 2025
In the report published in September 2025, Chan underlined the increase in procedural cases compared to the previous year.
“According to data provided by the Judiciary Police and the Public Security Police Force, a total of 1,139 gaming-related investigation cases were recorded in the first half of 2025, representing an increase of 456 cases, or 66.8%, compared with the same period in 2024,” said the government official.
He then turned to the December reporting figures, noting that police recorded 1,737 gaming-related crime cases, up 70.1% year-on-year from 1,021 cases in the same period of 2024.
“Between January and September 2025, police recorded a total of 1,737 gaming-related crime cases, representing an increase of 716 cases, or 70.1%,” the GSS statistics read.
There is, however, a caveat to the reporting: the GSS states that analysts “adjusted the statistical scope of gaming-related crimes” following the introduction of the new law.
The GSS also acknowledged that tourism contributed to the shift in statistics, noting that international footfall introduced “greater uncertainty to the public security environment.”
We reported that Macau recorded post-pandemic highs in tourist impact since the middle of 2025, with hotel occupancy reaching 91%. In July and August 2025, the reportage highlighted $2.75 billion and $2.77 billion, respectively.
Featured image: GSS
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British-Pakistani influencer and online trader Zaraq Nazir has confirmed that he will return to Pakistan to take part in an illegal gambling inquiry.
Nazir has confirmed that he will travel to Pakistan to take part in the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) inquiry into alleged illegal online gambling and betting applications. This comes on the heels of fellow TikTokers Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak being granted interim bail today (December 15), after being named in the same first information report (FIR).
Butt and Mubarak were both arrested by British authorities as part of an investigation, while Nazir was present. The pair’s phones were seized and the investigation ultimately impacted Butt’s immigration status.
Nazir, alongside the other two, is accused of using his online reach to encourage people to invest in specific trading, gambling and betting apps for personal gain. It’s claimed by investigators that they pooled their reach across YouTube, TikTok, Instagram and Facebook to mislead audiences into believing these were profitable opportunities.
Why is Zaraq Nazir taking part now?
Speaking to Geo News, Nazir maintained his innocence, saying: “I was present when Nadeem Naniwala and Rajab Butt were arrested. Their phones were switched off for nearly 48 hours. Rajab Butt’s issue started from that arrest, when police began reviewing his visitor status, which eventually led to its revocation. The arrests were made following several complaints, including requests from Pakistani authorities.
“I will return to Pakistan on Monday. I was planning to travel with Nadeem and Rajab, but they left the UK without informing me or taking me into confidence. I only learned about their departure when I saw the news on Geo News social media pages.
“I have never used any gambling app at any time. I am not involved in promoting any illegal activity. A false FIR has been filed against me. The NCCIA has made a case against me because I revealed two expensive cars with Rajab Butt in London and handed out cash to people on the street during my visits to Lahore and Sialkot.”
He went on to state that he didn’t take part in the inquiry earlier for fear of blackmail and torture, citing the treatment of YouTuber Ducky Bhai as part of a similar case.
“Look at what happened to Ducky Bhai,” he said. “He was arrested in the same case, treated badly, blackmailed, and had money taken from him. He was only released due to the help provided by military leadership. Thank God he spoke openly about his ordeal.
“Nadeem, Rajab, and I planned to return once our confidence was restored after seeing that institutions protected Ducky Bhai. I am returning now because I have full faith in our institutions.”
Nazir is expected to arrive in Pakistan on December 15 to join the inquiry.
Featured image: Zaraq Nazir on Instagram
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A man in Michigan has been arrested under suspicion of a felony murder of his mother and stealing her money to gamble.
James Robert Hall, 39, was arrested on November 26 by Holly Police Department after his 59-year-old mother Kristine Lynn Hall was found dead in her bed in the Village of Holly, Michigan. The body was found by her brother, lying in bed fully clothed and initially appeared to have been due to natural causes.
However, closer examination by officers on the scene revealed bruising on the victim’s neck and evidence of a struggle. The brother of the victim told the police that Kristine had allowed her son to move in with her roughly six months earlier, but that she was afraid of him, slept with her bedroom door locked at night, and didn’t let him drive her vehicle, which was missing at the time of Kristine’s death.
Hall had an open felony warrant for breaking and entering. Kristine’s vehicle was soon detected in the Jackson, Michigan area. The victim’s daughter also told police that Hall had reached out to their father and confessed to killing his mother.
The Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety took James Hall into custody under the open felony warrant, after officers found him in the parking lot of a store after the retail clerk notified them that a man using the store phone was talking about attempting suicide. While talking with the officers on the scene, Hall once again admitted to killing his mother.
Holly Police Department officers interviewed Hall at the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety facility, where he confessed to killing his mother for the third time. According to a report from the police department, Hall stated that on the evening of Monday, November 24, he had a conversation with his mother where she told him off “for his life choices and for not amounting to anything”. Hall confessed that he climbed on top of her and used a pillow to smother her to death.
After the alleged murder, he stole money and jewelry from her before fleeing in her vehicle. He reportedly drove to the Kalamazoo area and called his father to confess to the crime for the first time. He then used the stolen money to gamble at a local casino before being taken into custody.
A felony murder charge could result in a life in prison
The cause of death was ruled as homicide by strangulation and suffocation on November 26, the same day that Hall was taken into Holly Police Department custody and arraigned for one count of felony breaking and entering with intent.
On December 10, Hall was arraigned again for charges related to homicide. He is facing three felony charge counts: murder in the first degree with the potential for life without parole; unlawful driving away in a motor vehicle with the potential for five years imprisonment, and larceny in a building with the potential for four years imprisonment.
“On behalf of the Holly Police Department, we offer our deepest sympathy and condolences to the family who loved and cared for Kristine,” said Chief Narsh of Holly Police Department. “I am proud of the dedication and determination of our officers who worked continuously to bring closure to this case in less than 24 hours. We are also very thankful for the assistance from the Kalamazoo Department of Public Safety.
“James Hall was angry his mother was parenting him…so he killed her. He took the life…that gave him life. Then he took her money, her jewelry and her vehicle because he was challenged on his life choices. Then he went to a casino.”
Violent crimes can be linked to gambling-related crimes, especially when linked to an illegal gambling rings, as happened in multiple cases across the States.
Featured image: Holly Police Department
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The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) announced that search warrants were issued for two separate premises in the city, which are suspected of hosting illicit gambling.
According to a local news outlet, Times of San Diego, the two locations were named as El Cajon Boulevard and another at a storage facility in Chula Vista, resulting in the seizure of 62 illegal slot machines along with cash and suspected narcotics.
SDPD raid two suspected gambling locations
The first location housed an established motor shop, MGK, and its owner, Misak Gumushyan, stated that he believed he had been burgled.
SDPD Lt. Tim Radtke said that “Both addresses were on the search warrant because it was one building…so what he (Mr Gumushyan) thought was a burglary was SWAT just accessing his building.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MAHpEgUIt9o
The owner refutes the claim that SWAT only accessed the building, as he reported to the Times that his security cameras had been disconnected, his front gate destroyed, and the contents of the store in upheaval.
The other named address was not recorded, but from the same building, MGK officers seized 23 unlicensed slot machines, around $1,000 cash, and assorted narcotics.
“I’m sure this is going to be a hit on my business and my reputation and everything,” Gumushyan said of the raid. “I don’t know what it’s going to be.”
Second location raided by SDPD
The second location, in Chula Vista, was on Third Avenue and Emerson Street and housed a self-storage facility.
SDPD found an additional 36 illegal slot machines and $800 in the building previously raided.
Radtke commented on the impact illegal gambling dens have on patrons, saying, “Narcotics plus weapons, plus you’re losing money, anything could occur. It’s a cocktail for something bad that could happen.”
“Illegal gambling establishments pose significant risks to the community,” said the SDPD, continuing that “These locations often attract additional criminal activity, including narcotics sales, theft, and violence.”
Featured image: Google Maps
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