Times Square casino hopefuls may be facing their greatest opponents yet in the form of a coalition of midtown groups looking to stop a potential Caesars Palace in the center of Manhattan.
The "No Times Square Casino" coalition on Friday announced its opposition to Caesars Palace Times Square: a proposed casino eyed for 1515 Broadway.
Led by the Broadway League, which represents theater owners and producers, the newly formed group is also backed by five neighborhood associations, a couple of prominent restaurant owners, as well as a church.
"As the competition for downstate casino licenses intensifies this spring, the Gaming Facility Location Board’s Request for Applications has made clear its intention that 'only projects embraced by the community are placed before the Board for consideration.' When it comes to Times Square, the community has spoken with a resounding 'NO,'" the group's Friday announcement read.
The coalition's principal concerns include worsening congestion in an already car-clogged neighborhood; worries visitors will be enticed to stay within the casino walls instead of patronizing the district's restaurants and existing entertainment spaces; and disrupting the businesses that have already "proven to grow the city's jobs and economy decade after decade."
Restauranteurs worried about a seismic shift on the "fabric of the theater district" include famous eateries Sardi's, Joe Allen and Orso, and Bar Centrale.
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“Small businesses in our community have had to overcome profound challenges since the pandemic - a plan for a casino in Times Square creates unnecessary hazards that we should not have to confront,” said Mary Hattman of Joe Allen and Orso restaurants.
Competition for the few casino licenses currently up for grabs in downstate New York has been heating up for months. At least eight bids have been submitted for the three available slots.
The appeal of a brand new casino and the revenue that could follow has enticed bidders in nearly every borough of the city, as well as Long Island. Many are expecting Queens racetrack Aqueduct and Yonkers Raceway to each get one because they already have slot machines.
Competition has become fierce for what's believed to be the remaining license up for grabs, with contenders including plans for a ferris wheel and casino on the east side near the UN, a casino on the roof of Saks Fifth Avenue, one at Hudson Yards, another next to the Nassau Coliseum and a plan to remove the Trump name from Trump Links and building a casino in the Bronx. And don't forget bids for Coney Island, Times Square, and the land next to Citi Field.
As the competition heats up, so has the opposition -- as seen by the most recent announcement in Times Square. But other plans, including the Citi Field proposal, have found vocal detractors in community organizers.
The decision on casino licenses will come down to the state-controlled Gaming Commission. Any guidance on the direction of those applications was expected by the spring or summer.
