# Carl Heastie, staff scored $14K in free Celtics tickets from gaming giant — before it won massive $18M NY tax break

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/carl-heastie-staff-scored-14k-in-free-celtics-tickets-from-gaming-giant-before-it-won-massive-18m-ny-tax-break/
- Published: 2026-11-05T23:39:01+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-06T00:51:22+00:00
- Original publisher: New York Post (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://nypost.com/2026/11/05/us-news/carl-heastie-and-staff-got-36k-in-free-luxury-celtics-tickets-from-gaming-company-before-winning-massive-tax-break-report/
- Topics: Business, Companies, World

## Key points

- Heastie and staff received nearly $14,000 in Celtics suite tickets.
- Delaware North later won a tax break projected at $18 million.
- Heastie says the games were political fundraisers.

## Summary

An investigation reported that New York Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and his staff received nearly $14,000 in Boston Celtics suite tickets from gaming and hospitality company Delaware North. Less than three months later, the company secured a state budget tax break projected to be worth $18 million, raising questions about the relationship and the timing.

The tickets were donated to the Democratic Assembly Campaign Committee, which Heastie helps lead, and were described by the company as intended for political fundraising. Delaware North’s lobbyists met Heastie after the March game to discuss taxes on slot parlours; the tax break appeared in the final budget in May, though it was absent from earlier proposals. Heastie said the games were fundraisers and that the campaign had raised much more than the ticket value; the company said its staff followed applicable laws and did not discuss political matters at the games.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.