NYC NOW - Casino Approvals and Christmas Tree Prices

Episode Date: December 15, 2025

The New York State Gaming Commission has officially approved three full-scale commercial casino licenses for sites in Queens and the Bronx. Plus, how much are New Yorkers paying for Christmas trees these days?

Move over Atlantic City, the Big Apple is getting its own casinos. And, in this economy, how much are New Yorkers willing to pay for a Christmas tree? From WMYC, this is NYC now. I'm Jene Pierre. It's official. Three casinos are coming to New York City. The State Gaming Commission made its announcement Monday, ensuring that full-fledged gambling will be coming to sites in the Bronx and Queens.

The decision caps a process that's been a dozen years in the making. The state allowed for downstate casinos to be built only after green lighting several casinos upstate in the 2010s. The three multi-billion dollar projects set to be developed are the Bally's Bronx at Ferry Point, the Hard Rock Metropolitan Park near City Field, and New York City Resorts World at the site of the Aqueduct Racetrack. While the Bally's Project and Hard Rock Metropolitan Park are slated to open in 2030, Resorts World is expected to be fully expanded by next year. The NYPD is stepping up patrols across New York City as Jewish New Yorkers celebrate Hanukkah after a daily mass shooting at a celebration in Sydney, Australia.

Authorities say the attack targeted people gathered for a Hanukkah event. Mayor Eric Adams and police commissioner Jessica Tisch say officers will be stationed at menorah lightings, synagogues, and Jewish gathering sites. Mayor Adams called for resilience. We will celebrate the first night of the miracle of Hanukkah, no matter the tragedies. We have experienced as a city, as a country, and as a globe in the last 24 hours. Police say there are no known threats in New York, but officials say extra security is being deployed out of caution. Defense attorneys are scrutinizing the conduct of the Pennsylvania police.

who arrested suspected killer Luigi Mangione last year. WMYC's Walter Whitman has more. Defense attorneys say Altuna Police illegally searched and interrogated Mangione when they arrested him. New York Law School professor Anna Kaminsky says the New York judge could choose to throw out the evidence they gathered. You know, it doesn't matter whether it's the most rural of police departments or one of the biggest police departments in the country. All police officers have to follow the Constitution. and respect all of our individual constitutional rights. Prosecutors argue police did nothing wrong

and that the evidence ties Mangione to the shooting of United Health Care CEO Brian Thompson. How much are New Yorkers paying for Christmas trees these days? The answer, after the break. It's that time of year again. New Yorkers are looking for the day. the perfect tree to decorate their home for the holiday season. This is one of my favorite times of year, y'all, not because it's my birthday season, but

because grocery stores all around the city are set up with stands with Christmas trees and lights for sale, it's also very festive. Anyway, we wanted to know how much you're willing to pay for a Christmas tree in this economy. We've been asking listeners to share their prices with us, and already hundreds of you have responded. So joining me to go through what we've learned so far about prices this holiday season is WMYC's Karen Yee and Joe Hong. Hey, you two.

Hello. Hey, Jene. So you two received nearly 300 submissions from WMYC listeners and some Gothamist readers. What's the going right for a good size tree these days? Yeah, based on the submissions we got, the citywide average for a six to seven foot tree is about $121. That's for all sorts of trees, different types of furs mostly. And overall, for any size, the median price, was about $100.

Some highlights from the numbers we got. The most expensive tree that we saw was $633 for a nine-foot tree, so a giant tree. The cheapest tree that we saw was $10 for a tiny one-footer from Trader Joe's. The lowest price for kind of a larger six to seven-foot tree was $40 from a Home Depot in Jersey City. Wow. You know, Joe, I prefer that Trader Joe's tree for $10. bucks, but that's just me. Me too. All right. So, Karen, how are New York City shoppers responding to these prices? Are they still

buying trees? I mean, look, we're all incredibly price conscious these days with the rising cost of food that we've spoken about, rent, and just about everything, and Christmas trees are going up. But we received nearly 300 submissions and counting, so it's safe to say that people are still buying trees. We met this lovely couple, Willie Burkart and Daniela Petrova, who were shopping for their Christmas tree earlier this month. And they say they now go to hold. food. It's so much cheaper than the other vendors. We had two other options closer to our building, but they're way more expensive.

How much more? Oh, I didn't look this year, but I remember last year we checked. One is almost four times, but the other three times. They got a nice looking seven-foot Fraser fur for $89. And they say that actually the price went up from last year by about $10. Do these trees tend to be cheaper at chain stores? That is certainly what we've seen so far, based on. on our crowdsourced data.

On average, trees are about $119, but at stores like Home Depot, the price is half of that. And the prices at Whole Foods are a little more expensive than the Home Depot trees. And what people told us is that they used to go to their local tree stand, but they've had to find a better deal as prices have steadily risen year over year. And there was that supply shortage back in 2020 that drove up prices, which prompted shoppers to now turn to big box stores. All right, so we heard from some buyers, but what are sellers saying about their pricing this year? I visited a couple of local sellers on Staten Island, and of course I picked a very rainy, very cold morning when absolutely nobody was buying a tree.

But I got a chance to chat with longtime tree seller Vincent Davino. It's Merry Time Christmas, but on Google it is the nearest Christmas tree stand. Why does it say nearest Christmas stand? Because everybody types in Google, nearest Christmas tree. I actually typed that and that's what I got. Now, Davino sells trees on his aunt's property, and the trees look beautiful and they're lush, and they're not all tied up. So it kind of looks like a forest, like he said. And he says he keeps prices pretty steady and cuts them to order.

So trees are there only three or four days old that were just previously cut. It's really a different experience here for sure. Come in, grab a cup of hot chocolate, walk around. I mean, that is probably the only place on Staten Island that you feel like you're in the woods. You can get a six to seven foot balsam or a blue spruce for $100 or a Frasier fur for. $120, close to the citywide average, and there's a price guarantee that comes along with it. How many people guarantee the trees? I guarantee the trees. The tree dies. Show me a picture. You don't got to bring it to me. I give you a new one for free.

And often prices in New Jersey, well, based on the few that we got, were cheaper, like the $40 tree from the Home Depot in Jersey City. And even Staten Island prices can be slightly cheaper. So in some cases, it might be worth the toll over there if you have a car. Are the sellers feeling squeezed by national chains? Absolutely, by chains and also the artificial Christmas tree industry. I mean, Carl Wiesner from Wiesner Nursery Brothers says fewer and fewer people are buying real trees every year. Setups that happen in the parking lots, they're not really around anymore because a lot of people go to Home Depot and Lows. He says that competition has kept prices from skyrocketing, but Wiesner says wherever you buy your tree, you have to check its quality. And the best way to check is, you know, you grab a single branch and you run your hand down.

And if nothing comes off, then that's your winning tree. So wait, let me do your test. Oh, not a single branch. Yeah. So if a lot of the needles come off, it's not a very fresh tree. Another suggestion one of the sellers gave me is if you want a stronger piney smell, try opting for a balsam tree. But if you get a tree earlier in the season or you want to keep it up longer, maybe later in January, get a Frazier because they tend to last longer. And if you have really, really heavy

ornaments, a blue spruce is your best bet because they're just the strongest tree out there. Okay, all good tips. Thanks a lot, Karen. You know, we're creeping into mid-December and we still have some time to get a tree, right? Yes, sellers tell us that the two weeks before Christmas is when business picks up, and you can still help us track prices by submitting what you paid for your tree on our digital news site, Gothamist.com, and by filling out the Google form there. That's WNYC's Karen Yee and Joe Hong. Thanks, you too. Thanks, Janay.

Thank you. As you may have heard, NYC Now has shifted from three episodes a day to a single episode with some deeper reporting and analysis. We're trying something new. We're continuing to evolve the show and experiment with new ways to push stories forward. So please be patient with us. And stick with us as we prepare for the next. phase of the podcast. Not feeling it? Or have some thoughts of your own? Hit us up. We want to hear from

you. What would you like to hear more of on NYC Now? Send us an email at NYC now at WMYC.org. As always, thanks for listening to NYC now from WNYC. I'm Jenae Pierre. We'll be back tomorrow. Thank you.