by Aimee Rosato
Pope Francis wrote in his 2025 Jubilee announcement, “Spes Non Confundit,” that “hope dwells as the desire and expectation of good things to come, despite our not knowing what the future may bring.” During this 2025 Jubilee Year, I am called to be a Pilgrim of Hope, in this case, standing together with other community activists to advocate for more parkland in the parking lot of Citi Field — not a predatory, Vegas-style casino that would hurt our already struggling communities.
I also stand in solidarity with others resisting casino projects throughout multiple dioceses and feel called to gather other Catholics to join us in this effort. A lot has changed since voters approved the casino expansion ballot proposal in 2013. There is no need for new casinos. The market is saturated, and the social costs outweigh any tax or promised community benefits from billionaire developers.
While gambling is a morally neutral act in the Church, when a person gambles too much and can’t take care of themselves or their families, it becomes a sin. I know from research that the most proximate populations to casinos will have the highest proportions of problem gamblers. During the 2025 Jubilee, when we are called to consider the economic impacts on the poorest, how can we support a project in good faith that extracts wealth from everyday people and destroys families? Catholic social teaching has taught me that every personal and economic choice is a moral one.
Therefore, I cannot ethically support casinos due to the destruction they can cause, particularly to the most vulnerable members of our community, whose needs we are asked to put first. For Catholics who support casino expansion, I pray that whatever you are seeking in these projects — a job, a community center, a sliver of a park — comes to you in another form. People can call their state representatives and tell them not to support casinos in our backyard.
For the Citi Field Queens Future project, this means asking them not to vote for park-alienation legislation. I encourage Catholics to speak with parish leaders and any relevant Church ministries about their concerns as well. I hope my Catholic community members will take the time to review the Phoenix Meadows Vision Plan at queensforall.com, which would transform the parking lot at Citi Field into a truly expansive park for the community to enjoy.
Aimee Rosato is a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish in Astoria.