Community groups rally against Mets owner Steve Cohen's planned Metropolitan Park casino in Corona

CORONA, Queens (WABC) -- Community groups in Corona, Queens rallied against the opening of an $8 billion casino slated to be built next to Citi Field.

On Saturday, residents against the Metropolitan Park casino gathered to protest, emphasizing their concerns that the casino would create gambling addictions and saying that the complex would not "serve community needs."

Mets owner Steve Cohen is the main developer of the casino.

Metropolitan Park's team responded, reiterating that the project has been reviewed rigorously.

Members of the New York Gaming Facility Location Board voted in December 2025 to recommend licenses to operate three casinos in New York City, including Metropolitan Park.



In April, Resort Worlds Casino, which had already been operating a racino at the Aqueduct Racetrack in southeast Queens for years, finished expanding into a full-scale casino.

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