A group of citizens in New York City held a protest yesterday in Long Island to rally against a resort and casino planned for the Nassau Coliseum area. The project, slated to cost $4bn, is Las Vegas Sands’ bid to win one of only three casino licenses that will eventually be awarded in Downstate New York.
Nassau County constituents gathered on Sunday to urge state legislators to vote ‘no’, in a vote on transferring the land lease, which is expected to occur this week. A preliminary 99-year lease for development has already been signed with Sands.
Ron Reese, SVP of Global Communications and Corporate Affairs for Las Vegas Sands, issued the following statement: "Throughout this process, Sands New York has engaged in over 300 community meetings, where we've had extensive and meaningful conversations with the surrounding residents and organizations throughout Long Island.
“We are very gratified to have received great support from institutions including Nassau Community College, Long Island University, NAACP New York State Conference, Uniondale Chamber of Commerce and the Nassau Council of Chambers, the Long Island African American and Hispanic Chambers of Commerce and the Long Island Association, as well as numerous not for profit organizations and small businesses.
“We look forward to continuing the discussions with all residents, sharing ideas and learning about new ways we can be of service to the community.”
Both local members of the community and politicians have claimed a casino will have more ‘negative impacts’ than potential revenue. Westbury Mayor, Peter I. Cavallaro, said, “That site should be redeveloped. It's begging to be redeveloped. It should have been redeveloped a while ago. But a casino is the exact wrong thing to be putting at that site."
Gaming America examines the casino bid process further, including the importance of community and committee approval.
