Teams opposing Las Vegas Sands’ efforts to construct a on line casino resort on the web site of the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, N.Y. need the close by city of Hempstead to stop an environmental assessment that might clean the best way for the challenge.
Nassau Coliseum. The city of Hempstead, N.Y. desires to proceed with an environmental assessment for a on line casino challenge. However opponents try to halt the assessment. (Picture: LongIsland.com)
“Say NO to the On line casino,” which has opposed the gaming challenge from the beginning, believes the environmental assessment ought to be halted. That’s as a result of the switch of the Coliseum lease to Sands from Nassau County was blocked final month by a New York appeals court docket. That authorized motion was introduced by Hofstra College, one other outspoken detractor of the on line casino plan.
In November, the New York State Supreme Court docket voided the lease switch, siding with Hoftstra’s claims that the deal violated the state’s open assembly legal guidelines. That court docket’s appellate division later put that call on maintain. The school introduced the go well with in April.
“Say NO to the On line casino” desires Hempstead to cancel a pair of public remark periods scheduled for Thursday, January 18 at Lengthy Island Marriott in Uniondale. The request is on the premise that the assessment shouldn’t transfer ahead following final month’s appellate court docket resolution.
Environmental Overview May Be Important
A lot of Hofstra’s argument towards lease switch centered on the notion that Nassau County officers inked the take care of Sands in a backroom vogue. That’s whereas not permitting atypical residents to touch upon the matter.
Hempstead’s January 18 periods clearly take a unique method, signaling the on line casino stakeholders don’t need to present extra fodder for opponents.
Environmental evaluations are important to any new large-scale gaming challenge. Within the case of Nassau County, the city of Hempstead just lately introduced it’s going to lead the State Environmental High quality Overview Act course of for the on line casino challenge.
Hempstead believes the lease switch to Sands is legitimate, and there’s documentation to help that declare, probably signaling the city has authorized standing with which to proceed with the environmental examine. City officers refute claims that the lease switch was deliberately opaque or purposefully hidden from residents.
Clock Ticking on Lengthy Island On line casino
Probably looming giant for Sands’ efforts to win one of many three downstate on line casino permits are two components which can be linked. New York’s excessive courts are taking years to listen to environmental instances, and it’s attainable that regulators there might award the trio of on line casino licenses within the second half of this yr.
Some trade observers imagine that point line is formidable. But when it proves correct, it could possibly be problematic for Sands and Nassau County, as a result of New York regulators will not be eager on the thought of awarding a license to an operator with pending litigation in state courts. Nassau County Government Bruce Blakeman, a longtime supporter of the on line casino plan, mentioned delays could possibly be pricey.
“Delay is just not an possibility, because the stakes are excessive and potential lack of billions of {dollars} in building and hundreds of jobs is just not an possibility,” he mentioned in a press release supplied to Newsday.
