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Don’t bet on a Big Apple casino opening any time soon.

State regulators said they won’t decide on new casino licenses in the New York City area until late 2025 — a delay critics say deals the local economy a bad hand.

The footdragging means pushes out the over-under on the earliest a gaming facility could open in the metro area to some time in 2026.

“It’s absurd that it’s going to take 3 years to put shovels in the ground,” Queens Borough President Donovan Richards said, referring to a timetable laid out by the state Gaming Commission during a public meeting Monday.

The city could use the jobs associated with the licenses to boost the post-COVID-19 recovery, he added.

“We’re trying to rebuild the New York economy. People are looking for good jobs and upward mobility. I hope they have a change of heart.”

Talk about awarding as many as three casino licenses in the downstate region have already been going on for three years.

Gaming industry insiders were left confused over the footdragging.

“People are shaking their heads. What’s taking so long?” a source to one casino bidder said. “There doesn’t seem to be any urgency.”

By comparison, state cannabis regulators have issued 89 licenses for pot dispensaries over roughly the same time period.

But Gaming Commission Executive Director Robert Williams insisted the timetable is “ahead of schedule” because Gov. Kathy Hochul and the state legislature have not anticipated revenues from casinos to help bankroll the MTA until 2026.

A winning bidder must pay an upfront $500 million license fee for the privilege of operating a casino.

Williams noted that the City Council has yet to approve a zoning amendment to make it easier for casinos to find a location in the five boroughs.

The proposed casinos — The Related Companies/Wynn proposal for Hudson Yards, Mets owner Steve Cohen’s bid by Citi Field, the Thor Equities consortium in Coney Island and Bally’s at Ferry Point in The Bronx — would have to first be approved under the city’s lengthy Uniformed Land Use Review Procedure, the commission said.

“I have been informally advised that navigating the [land use] process will extend through the second quarter of 2025,” Williams said.

He said bidders will also have to undergo a separate state environmental scrutiny— under the State Environmental Quality Review Act.

In order for Cohen’s and Bally”s proposals to proceed, they also need approval from the state legislature to redesignate the properties from parkland to commercial use.

These reviews won’t be completed until early 2025, Williams said.

The Community Advisory Committees would then vote to support or reject a casino by late summer of 2025, allowing the state to collect licenses fees “nearly one year prior” to the deadline submission to the state and MTA, Williams said.

The committees, created by law, consist of the mayor, borough presidents and local state and city lawmakers who represent neighborhoods where a casino is proposed.

Resorts World’s slots parlor at Aqueduct race track and the MGM slots parlor at Yonkers raceway have the infrastructure in place to more easily build out and offer card table games in 2026, if they are awarded licenses.

But other bidders would have to build a new casino facility from scratch, meaning their doors are unlikely to open for business until 2027 or later, industry sources estimate.

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Sabrina Carpenter hits out at ‘evil and disgusting’ White House video featuring her song

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Sabrina Carpenter hits out at 'evil and disgusting' White House video featuring her song

Sabrina Carpenter has hit out at an “evil and disgusting” White House video of migrants being detained that uses one of her songs.

“Do not ever involve me or my music to benefit your inhumane agenda,” the pop star posted on X.

The White House used part of Carpenter‘s upbeat song Juno over pictures of immigration agents handcuffing, chasing and detaining people.

It was posted on social media on Monday and has been viewed 1.2 million times so far.

President Trump‘s policy of sending officers into communities to forcibly round up illegal immigrants has proved controversial, with protests and legal challenges ongoing.

Mr Trump promised the biggest deportation in US history, but some of those detained have been living and working in the US for decades and have no criminal record.

Carpenter is not the only star to express disgust over the administration’s use of their music.

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Olivia Rodrigo last month warned the White House not to “ever use my songs to promote your racist, hateful propaganda” after All-American Bitch was used in a video urging undocumented migrants to leave voluntarily.

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In July, English singer Jess Glynne also said she felt “sick” when her song from the viral Jet2 advert was used over footage of people in handcuffs being loaded on a plane.

Other artists have also previously hit out at Trump officials for using their music at political campaign events, including Guns N’ Roses, Foo Fighters, Celine Dion, Ozzy Osbourne and The Rolling Stones.

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Business

Thames Water debt pile rises further despite return to profit

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Thames Water debt pile rises further despite return to profit

Cash-strapped Thames Water has revealed a further rise in its debt pile while recording a return to profit on the back of inflation-busting hikes to bills.

The UK’s largest supplier said the 31% rise to customer bills since April had allowed it to increase capital investment by 22% to £1.3bn amid demands it improve performance in preventing sewage spills and stopping leaks.

Thames Water said it recorded a 20% drop in pollution incidents over the six months to the end of September, and leakage performance was holding steady despite the “extremely dry summer”.

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While waste complaints dipped by 11%, according to the company, there was a 42% surge in the number of customers complaining about the hike to bills.

Thames Water revenue rose 42% on the same period last year to £1.9bn, helping a return to profit after tax of £328m on the back of a £190m loss during April-September 2024.

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The company said profitability was damaged by higher debt serving costs.

Its debt pile was recorded at £17.6bn – a rise of 5%.

The results were released against the backdrop of continuing talks involving the government and regulators over a proposed rescue deal by major Thames Water creditors.

Their consortium is known as London & Valley Water.

It effectively already owns Thames Water under the terms of a financial restructuring agreed early in the summer but regulator Ofwat is yet to give its verdict on whether the consortium can run the company, averting the prospect of it being placed in a special administration regime.

Without a deal the consortium, which includes investment heavyweights Elliott Management and BlackRock, would be wiped out.

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August: Is Thames Water a step closer to nationalisation?

Ofwat, which is to be scrapped under a shake-up of industry oversight, has been leading scrutiny of London & Valley’s operational plan and proposed capital structure.

The prospective deal would write off billions of pounds of the company’s debt and inject billions in fresh equity, in return for an adjustment in the regulator’s approach to future financial penalties.

Thames sees the creditors’ proposal as the only viable solution.

Despite huge hikes to household bills – allowed across England and Wales to bolster aging infrastructure including storm overflows – the company says its financial turnaround has been hampered by record fines for things like sewage leaks and bonuses to retain key staff.

Sky News revealed on Tuesday that its remuneration committee will meet next week to decide whether to proceed with nearly £2.5m in retention payments to 21 senior managers.

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Thames Water chief executive Chris Weston said the company had made good progress on its operational and transformation targets.

“This progress has all been achieved as we also manage the recapitalisation of the business. We continue to work closely with stakeholders to secure a market-led solution that we believe is in the best interests of our customers and the environment.

“This in turn will allow the transformation of Thames to continue, a programme that will take at least a decade to complete and will restore the infrastructure and operations of the company.”

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Business

FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

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FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

FIFA has backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets amid concerns about the cost of attending the tournament in North America.

The organisers insisted they always planned to ring-fence tickets at set prices to follow your own team.

But the announcement comes just days ahead of Friday’s tournament draw in Washington DC, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

Fans will have to wait until Saturday to know exactly where and when their teams will be playing in next summer’s tournament.

Scotland will be one of the teams in the tournament, held in North America and Mexico
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Scotland will be one of the teams in the tournament, held in North America and Mexico

Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – has never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

England and Scotland fans have been sharing images in recent days of ticket website images highlighting cost worries.

But world football’s governing body said in a statement to Sky News: “FIFA can confirm ringfenced allocations are being set aside for specific fan categories, as has been the case at previous FIFA World Cups. These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.

“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the Participating Member Associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8% of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”

FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).

There will also be a sales window after the draw from 11 December to 13 January when ticket applications will be based on a fixed price for those buying in the random selection draw.

It is the biggest World Cup with 104 matches after the event was expanded from 32 to 48 teams. There are also three host nations for the first time – with Canada and Mexico the junior partners.

The tournament mascots as seen in Mexico in October. Pic: Reuters
Image:
The tournament mascots as seen in Mexico in October. Pic: Reuters

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FIFA defended using fluctuating pricing.

“The pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” FIFA’s statement continued.

“This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans.”

The statement addressed the concerns being raised about fans being priced out of attending.

FIFA said: “Stadium category maps do not reflect the number of tickets available in a given category but rather present default seating locations.

“FIFA resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales could also still qualify.

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