We knew Mets co-owner Fred Wilpon of Great Neck-based Sterling Equities that owns the team liked to gamble with his money — remember Bernie Madoff? — but this is something new.
According to a report in the New York Post, the team's current ownership group is interested in putting a casino adjacent to Citi Field to help fund the operation of the Mets.
After a settlement of damages stemming from the Bernie Madoff-led Ponzi sceme, the Mets have struggled to make ends meet. At one point, the Amazin's even had to take a loan from Major League Baseball to pay the bills.
So, their latest idea is to let everybody else do the gambling to fund the team.
According to the Post, the Shinnecock Indian Tribe of Long Island is interested in operating the casino, making it legal to include live dealer tables, rather than the types of video poker and games played at other New York state casinos.
No word yet on what MLB — a notoriously gambling-averse organization — thinks about the plan.
If the Mets manage to pull an inside straight and get their plan approved, it would be the second casino in Queens — competing with Resorts World at Aqueduct.
