New York Chinatown fears impact of $8bn casino development, calling it ‘predatory project’

People rally against a proposed casino in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York, on 16 November 2025. Photograph: No Casino FMCP View image in fullscreen People rally against a proposed casino in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, New York, on 16 November 2025. Photograph: No Casino FMCP New York Chinatown fears impact of $8bn casino development, calling it ‘predatory project’ Residents warn project could worsen gambling addiction and raise rents, while developers promise jobs O n Main Street in Flushing’s Chinatown, shoppers weave between fruit stands, restaurants and family-run businesses that have served the New York City neighborhood for decades. But behind the bustle, many residents fear the working-class immigrant community is under threat from an $8bn casino development that could displace thousands of renters and force small businesses to close. “A predatory project is being dumped in our community that disproportionately harms our people,” said Jack Hu, 37, a Flushing resident and member of the No Casino in Flushing Meadows Corona Park campaign. “This community is really upset about this project and how it was pushed through without our consent.” Metropolitan Park is a casino and entertainment project backed by the New York Mets owner, Steve Cohen, and Hard Rock International through Queens Future LLC. The development would turn parking lots next to Citi Field at Willets Point into a casino, hotel, restaurants, an entertainment district and a public park between the Flushing and Corona neighborhoods. Chinese immigrant communities have higher rates of problem gambling than the general population, studies have found. This is due to a number of issues, including cultural beliefs around luck and fortune, immigration-related stresses and isolation, barriers to accessing mental healthcare, and casino marketing targeting Chinese-speaking clients. In Flushing, the community is already burdened by gambling addiction, and a casino on its doorstep could make things worse, especially among its elderly populations, said some residents. “This is a working-class community and the Metropolitan Park casino is also going to extract wealth from the most vulnerable,” said Hu, who says his father has a gambling addiction, which he developed soon after immigrating to the US. “Casino operators use things like meal coupons, free bus vouchers, free gambling vouchers to lure working-class Asians into casinos so that they can take their money.” View image in fullscreen The New York Mets owner, Steve Cohen, waits for the team’s baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on 31 August 2022 in New York. Photograph: Adam Hunger/AP In a statement to the Guardian, a spokesperson for Metropolitan Park said: “We take our responsibility to be a good neighbor and a good partner seriously. Metropolitan Park includes over $1bn in community benefits. This includes a community impact fund and specific funding for responsible gaming, addiction and mental health servi