On Monday, stories surfaced that it’s more likely to be late 2025 earlier than the New York Gaming Fee (NYGC) makes selections on the winners of three downstate on line casino permits. That’s a lot to the liking of teams opposing a gaming venue on Lengthy Island.
Nassau Coliseum, a proposed website of a Lengthy Island on line casino. The “Say NO to the On line casino Civic Affiliation” says it’s a optimistic that New York is delaying awarding downstate on line casino licenses. (Picture: LongIsland.com)
The “Say NO to the On line casino Civic Affiliation,” which has lengthy opposed Las Vegas Sands’ effort to construct a on line casino lodge on the Nassau Coliseum website, stated it favors NYGC’s “slower timeline,” and that it believes no matter how lengthy it takes, the fee will discover issues with the Sands proposal.
“Not solely is the proposed website wholly unsuited to host an enormous on line casino, the Las Vegas Sands group has proven a willingness to bend the foundations and skirt the legislation in pursuit of a license,” stated the civic group in a press release.
It’s broadly believed that one of many main explanation why the NYGC can not open a 30-day bidding window for the three downstate permits this yr, as beforehand hoped, is as a result of a number of gaming corporations and their companions haven’t but obtained mandatory zoning approvals for his or her places of alternative. New York regulators received’t contemplate potential on line casino websites missing these approvals.
Lengthy Island On line casino Group
The “Say NO to the On line casino Civic Affiliation” believes there’s a bonus to New York regulators delaying the bidding course of and awarding of the three downstate on line casino licenses.
Specifically, the group sees a chance for Lengthy Island residents to get educated on the potential issues related to a gaming venue. Because the group sees it, these detrimental outcomes embody threats to group character and environmental woes that would threaten requirements set forth by New York’s State Environmental High quality Evaluation Act (SEQRA).
“The 4-million square-foot mega-structure would ceaselessly change the character of our group, and produce important, pervasive, long-term detrimental impacts. We’re additionally assured that the SEQRA course of will discover the intensive environmental impacts that may outcome from constructing the second-largest on line casino within the nation can’t be mitigated,” added the civic group.
It’s not clear the place the estimate that the Sands on line casino could be the second-largest within the U.S. comes from. However the operator has pledged to construct a $6 billion built-in resort on the Coliseum website.
Outlook for Lengthy Island On line casino
Whereas the “Say NO to the On line casino Civic Affiliation” sees worth within the NYGC delaying the beginning of the bidding course of, that longer timeline may give Sands the time it must get freed from authorized crimson tape. It may additionally give Nassau County policymakers runway with which to substantiate that Hofstra College, a strident opponent of the Lengthy Island on line casino, is colluding with different New York on line casino contenders.
That hasn’t been confirmed as of but, however it’s a difficulty that’s been talked about by Lengthy Island on line casino backer and County Govt Bruce Blakeman (R). It’s clear that Hofstra opposes a gaming venue close to its campus, however the college has not stated that it disapproves of downstate casinos basically.
The “Say NO to the On line casino Civic Affiliation” isn’t a political group, nor does it have clear ties to Hofstra past being on the identical aspect of the on line casino opposition subject.
