Opinion | With NYC Casino Projects, Progressive Politicians Expose Their Hypocrisy

In New York City, Las Vegas-style casinos—two in Queens and one in the Bronx—are coming during a crisis.

Ask any local politician what the number one issue on the ballot is for the 2026 election cycle, and they’ll give you the same answer: affordability. New Yorkers overwhelmingly turned out in 2025 to vote in the most progressive mayor in our city’s history. We granted him a mandate to tax the rich. 

Our city is trudging through a cost-of-living crisis. Over 50% of households spend 30% of their income on rent, and 1 in 4 New Yorkers live in poverty.

Progressive politicians running for office in 2026 responded to the crisis by voting to give away public land for billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen to build his “Metropolitan Park” casino in their working-class communities.

The project, one of the three that the NY State Gaming Commission approved in December, is a multibillion-dollar exploitative tax on the poor and vulnerable.

New York City Casino Betrayal

State Sen. John Liu of Flushing (directly next to Cohen’s upcoming casino) co-authored an op-ed in 2024 citing the disproportionate harm that New York City casinos would have on Asian Americans.

Despite the column, he turned his back on his Asian constituents in 2025 after meeting Cohen and striking a deal with him. He introduced land use legislation to enable Cohen’s casino proposal to proceed on public land.

Close to a thousand of our community members, in a multilingual, multiethnic, multigenerational, and multireligious rally, protested Liu’s decision on Nov. 16, 2025, in Downtown Flushing. The community cited concerns about exploitation, displacement, and social harm.

Liu’s response in the press was that he “hates gambling” but “there are some people who are going to do things that… are bad for them[selves].”

Giving Casinos to the Rich

Hypocritically, Liu showed up to the Democratic Socialists of America’s “Tax the Rich” rally on the same day as the Flushing protest and criticized “policies designed to benefit the wealthiest and punish working people.” He seeks reelection.

Progressive Assemblymember Jessica Gonzalez-Rojas, representing Jackson Heights and Corona, attended the “New York City is Not for Sale” rally in Forest Hills Stadium alongside Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Bernie Sanders, and then mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani. She did so after voting for Assemblymember Larinda Hooks’ bill in the lower chamber to give away public land for the billionaire’s NYC casino.

Her husband, Danny Rojas, in a conflict of interest for the Assemblymember, took money from Cohen’s foundation for his nonprofit All Star Code while his elected official wife had Cohen’s business before her in the legislature. Records show that Danny Rojas received a compensation package of $218,400 in 2024.

Assemblymember Gonzalez-Rojas is now seeking higher office, backed by Cohen’s casino lobbyists and consultants. She wants to replace progressive State Sen. Jessica Ramos, the only local elected official who opposed the casino.

The list goes on. State Sen. Julia Salazar, a longtime member of Democratic Socialists of America, voted twice to support Cohen’s NYC casino. Her committee vote the other way would have stopped the bill.

After our group criticized her on social media for abandoning her socialist principles, Salazar blocked our account. She is seeking reelection in her district.

Even Assemblymember Ron Kim of Flushing, a progressive champion who fought for Asian home care workers and has been fearless in holding power to account, knelt at the altar of a billionaire. He voted for Hooks’ bill to advance the casino bid. He is also running for reelection.

What’s Next in NYC

Members of our anti-casino movement have fought Cohen’s lobby machine since early 2023. We’ve been around long enough to see, with clarity, the shameless hypocrisy that our elected officials are capable of stomaching.

As we barrel toward the polls in 2026, New Yorkers must elect politicians who will stand for their progressive principles.

New Yorkers must remember the elected officials who stood firm in opposition to the NYC casinos. We must also remember those who abandoned their progressive values to support a billionaire over our community’s objection. 

We will not allow them to pass the buck. Our campaign against them and the New York City casinos will continue until they are defeated.

Jack Hu is a resident of Flushing, New York. Graciela Quispe is a Corona, New York resident. Follow their anti-casino group on Instagram at @nocasinofmcp.