Battle lines drawn for New York casino

The plan to open a casino in arguably the most desirable US location – New York’s Times Square – is running into opposition.

Caesars Entertainment announced a plan for the project a week ago and state Governor Kathy Hochul has gone on record as supporting casino expansion. New York state has decided it will award three casino licences.

New York hopes to generate around $1.5bn annually in revenue. Each of the licences would cost $500m.

Governor Hochul said: “We have opportunities to create thousands of jobs. A lot of New York City workers who were in the hospitality field worked in places where jobs haven’t come back because of the pandemic. We can give them jobs working in these places.”

But at a debate on the subject this week, some Manhattan political leaders went on record as opposing the plan.

The project is tied up with local elections with Hochul, a Democrat, opposed by Republican Lee Zeldin in the race for the governor’s title.

Meanwhile, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board has gone ahead and identified some possible sites. The Caesars project is a partnership with SL Green Realty Corporation, developing an area around Times Square.