Can gamblers and tennis lovers coexist in a cozy Queens community?
The U.S. Tennis Association is going to court to ensure fans of the U.S. Open won’t be crowded out by prospective gamblers and others, as the state considers a proposal to bring full-scale casino gambling to land near the USTA tennis complex and Citi Field in Willets Point, Queens.
In the claim filed in Manhattan State Supreme Court, the USTA National Tennis Center contends that the Adams administration had failed to ensure that its long-term lease rights will be honored in the event that Metropolitan Park, the proposed casino complex, wins a downstate gaming license to operate near the tennis complex.
The state Gaming Commission is set to award up to three licenses by the end of the year.
“The NTC’s lease rights, the U.S. Open, and the NTC’s investment in the NTC tennis facilities now are being jeopardized by the City’s unwillingness and failure to live up to its lease obligations,” reads the lawsuit.
Liz Garcia, a spokesperson for Adams, said the lawsuit is under review and the mayor's office had no immediate comment.
The USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Queens.
Brendan McIntyre, a spokesperson for the USTA, said the city needed to provide protections against any other events “that would affect the U.S. Open’s 23-day run” and had failed to do so with other park tenants, including music concerts.
He said the U.S. Open, which was first known as the U.S. National Championship, is a New York City institution, adding that it has been held in Queens for more than a century, including 48 years in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, and generates $1.25 billion in local economic impact annually.
“To be clear, we are not opposed to the proposed casino project,” McIntyre said in a statement. “We support development that benefits Queens, New York City and New York state. Our goal is simply to ensure the City keeps its long-standing commitments to offer the best possible experience for fans, parkgoers and Queens residents alike.”
Steve Cohen, owner of the Mets and purveyor of the Metropolitan Park casino bid, is not named in the lawsuit. Nonetheless, in response to the claim, Cohen’s spokesperson Karl Rickett said that if Metropolitan Park is approved, it will create $1.75 billion in new infrastructure, including a transformed subway stop and increased parking.
"Metropolitan Park was designed to embrace the existing sports attractions at Citi Field, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, and the forthcoming NYCFC soccer stadium, to create a premier sports and entertainment district in the heart of Queens,” Rickett said in a statement. “We are committed to working with our partners in the shared goal of improving the experience for all fans and the local community."
One legal expert said the lawsuit seemed premature.
“Seems somewhat speculative, in the absence of any award of a casino license,” said Bennett Liebman, the government lawyer in residence at Albany Law School.
