For decades, New Yorkers have been making the short trek between New York and Atlantic City New Jersey for some good old-fashioned casino gambling. In the process, they have dumped billions of dollars in the coffers of Atlantic City’s biggest and best retail casino resorts.
Of course, thanks to the evolution of online casinos, retail and land-based casinos have had to work even harder to get the attention of the casual gambler. Plus, due to overhead costs you won’t see casino bonuses like free spins or free chips found on sites like nodepositbonus.cc. Therefore it makes the most sense to draw in tourists who are already sightseeing in nearby locations.
As such, the focus has now shifted towards building luxurious casino resorts right in the heart of the city. Specifically, in the most populated borough of Manhattan. Steeped in rich and cultural history, there has naturally been push-back for casinos being built in Manhattan. Certainly, a case both for and against can be made for their construction.
New York Has Seen the Light – The Lights of Times Square?
To many residents and merchants throughout New York’s five (5) Burroughs, the feeling is it’s time to have a classy retail casino resort somewhere in the big city. After seemingly decades of legislative battles the New York legislature under Democrat leadership has finally seen the light. In 2022, they approved the issuance of up to three downstate casino licenses.
To date, eight (8) viable proposals have been rendered. Two came from state racinos (aqueduct and Yonkers) and the rest came from commercial interests. Currently, favor seems to be pointed at the racinos because they have established presences in their communities.
There are a couple of participants in this process that have an entirely different idea. That would be Caesars Entertainment and SL Green Push, a top commercial real estate developer in the Big Apple. Both of these companies firmly believe there is no better place for a casino resort in NYC than the historic Times Square.
Via a coalition called “Coalition for a Better Times Square,” they have been knocking on doors in the area to get support from local restaurants, hotels, unions, and Broadway-affiliated groups. By the way, this coalition includes Jay-Z.
The Opposition
On the surface, it does seem like Times Square is tailor-made for a retail casino. With that said, a lot of the area is filled with legacy businesses plus Broadway’s Theater District. There is more than enough opposition in the area to the concept of casino gambling in Times Square. The main opposition might well come from a new coalition called “The Broadway League,” a coalition that is designed to battle the casino proposal.
One of the leaders of The Broadway League is Max Klimavicius, the owner of the historic and century-old Sardi’s. To the press, Mr. Klimavicius stated:
“A casino in Times Square has the potential to jeopardize the character of the theater district and ultimately the fate of its restaurants,” He added, “Casinos are designed to keep the gamblers inside. They have their own restaurants.”
In all fairness, there are members of The Broadway League who would seem to have personal motives to defeat the idea of a casino in Times Square. Some of these members would have a vested interest in seeing casinos approved in other areas.
There’s more opposition that has been created due to the potential for significant issues. Here are a few of the concerns that have been expressed:
- It’s a risky proposition due to the bad local economy in NYC
- Many are concerned that a casino will drive away a key faction of visitors from the area
- Major traffic concerns over an area that already has congestion issues
- The savaging of revenue away from Broadway is a major concern for actors, producers, directors, and fans
- Fears over bringing more crime into an area where crime is already on the rise
- Many people don’t want to see the culture and ambiance of the area disturbed
The Battle Ensues
It’s no mistake that a lot of major players are getting involved in this process. Assuming NYC makes a major comeback in the next three years, owning and running a casino anywhere near NYC would likely be lucrative. It would certainly put a stop to a lot of the Friday night traffic on the Garden State Parkway – New Yorkers headed to Atlantic City.
The reality is more potential locations that are in play could squelch a Times Square option in a hurry. That would include the Hudson Yard proposal that has been submitted by the lethal combination of Wynn Resorts and related companies. At this time, nothing is set in stone and anything is a possibility.
With everything that’s on the line, New Yorkers can expect to see a lot of activity on this matter in the coming months. It’s not clear when decisions will be made, but the election in November 2024 could certainly sway the authorities to decide something sooner rather than later.
