Las Vegas Sands Mulling Long Island as Site of New York Casino

Las Vegas Sands is reportedly considering several Long Island locations as potential locations for a New York area casino. Former New York Gov. David Paterson (D), now the gaming company’s senior vice president, is urging his employer to consider Long Island, citing congestion problems in Manhattan. Traffic concerns are just one of the potential hurdles for operators looking to bring a venue to Manhattan. Competition for a casino license in Manhattan is fierce, with Caesars Entertainment, Hard Rock International and Wynn Resorts among the companies interested in the borough.

It could also be Bally’s. Adding to this crowded field, there is opposition to some hotel-casino plans in Manhattan, with some experts believing the borough isn’t the place for a new gaming destination.

New York is expected to issue a third casino license in the southern state. At the same time, MGM’s Empire City Casino in Yonkers and Resorts World in Queens will transition from their current slots-only status to traditional gaming venues. New York’s gaming regulators are expected to issue new permits at the end of next year. But they will apply for those licenses in January.

Paterson predicted that owners of Resorts World New York City at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens and Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway in Westchester County (both with electronic gambling options) would receive licenses to turn them into big gambles. . So Sands hopes to get the final permit, he told about 100 people attending the joint meeting of the Nassau Council of Chambers of Commerce and the Suffolk County Chambers Alliance. The two-hour event took place at the South Farmingdale Fire Department building. Iceland’s proximity to LaGuardia and Kennedy airports makes it an attractive casino location, according to Paterson, who lives in Harlem but attended school and law school in Hempstead.

Sands Could Be Shifting Away from Queens

Sands was previously rumoured to be considering an integrated resort on notoriously elusive land near Citi Field in Queens. New York Mets owner Steve Cohen is pushing to bring a casino to the area and is working with Union Gaming, an investment bank specializing in the casino industry, to select an operating partner. Hard Rock and Sands were previously thought to lead this competition. Sands could have several reasons for targeting Queens’ Long Island. First, local resistance to a new casino is growing.

Second, the development of Willets Point, where Cohen would like to see the casino built, has proved notoriously tricky as previous plans for unused land ultimately fell through. Paterson believes the Citi Field and Coney Island areas of Brooklyn are potential casino locations. But he slammed the idea of ​​a Manhattan gaming property, saying it wouldn’t help companies get people back into offices and would do more harm than good in terms of facilitating traffic.

For Sands, a Long Island State of Mind

Paterson did not identify specific Long Island locations that Sands is considering. But he told Newsday that gaming company executives met with local chambers of commerce on Thursday. Unknown sources, including the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, said the Nassau Hub newspaper. , which may be under consideration for Sands and the UBS Arena/Belmont Park area in Elmont. Due to its proximity to Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, Long Island is considered a suitable candidate for a downstate casino. Sands currently operates six integrated resorts: one in Singapore and five in Macau.