- Long Island residents are in opposition to the plans proposed by Las Vegas Sands to build a casino hotel in Nassau County, New York.
- A Mississippi casino development pitched along Bay St. Louis will be considered by the Mississippi Gaming Commission.
- Construction of Dream Las Vegas has stopped due to the casino hotel struggling with funding.
NEW YORK – Land-based casinos are experiencing different kinds of pushback across the country. In New York, the plan to build a casino hotel in Long Island is facing a ton of resistance from local residents.
New York Residents Against Casino Plan
Residents of Nassau County, New York have created a petition to express their opposition. The petition comes in response to Las Vegas Sands’ proposed plan to transform Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum into a NY casino hotel.
The site is currently used for a plethora of different events, such as commencement ceremonies, fundraisers, and concerts.
They are most notably the home stadium for the New York Riptide, a professional lacrosse franchise playing in the National Lacrosse League.
Online gambling has dominated the state of New York, but Long Island residents believe the transformation of the large venue into a casino hotel provides far more cons than pros.
Residents claim the casino hotel will bring unwanted noise pollution and crime.
Las Vegas Sands is attempting to acquire the site and they believe that the casino hotel plan would bring in plenty of tax revenue and improve local businesses.
In an interview with Las Vegas Sands CEO Robert Goldstein, he claimed:
“Our proposed project would be designed to produce tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for the local community on an annual basis, potentially offering property tax relief for residents. The project would also provide a lift for local businesses through a robust procurement program and support a broad range of community organizations and causes.”
Nassau County residents think otherwise, as nearly 1,800 people have signed the petition that opposed the casino plan. The petition was created by the “Say No to the Casino Civic Association”, which is the name of the group formed by residents of Nassau County.
Mississippi Casino Development Considered on Bay St. Louis
Unlike the societal factors responsible for the resistance to the casino plan in New York, Mississippi casino plans have struggled with environmental resistance.
Currently, a casino plan has been pitched by South Beach Casino & Resort along Bay St. Louis.
The issue with this area is that there has only been one casino to receive funding since Hurricane Katrina tragically crushed the coast in 2005.
The Mississippi Gaming Commission will once again consider if the area needs another casino. The Silver Slipper Casino Hotel is located roughly a mile away from the proposed new gambling location, meaning the newly pitched casino will need to have secure funding and convincing amenities to earn a spot along Bay St. Louis.
Dream Las Vegas Construction Halted Due to Funding Issues
First, it was societal pushback in New York. Then it was environmental pushback in Mississippi. Now it’s financial pushback in Nevada.
The construction of Dream Las Vegas has come to a stop after issues with funding have arisen.
The luxury casino hotel was expected to cost roughly $300 million to construct, but now that figure has nearly doubled to an estimated $575 million.
Dream Las Vegas would become one of the largest Nevada gambling sites, standing 21 stories high with over 500 guest rooms.
With developer Bill Shopoff expecting to acquire more funding in the coming weeks, the dream of Dream Las Vegas is not over quite yet.
The 5.5-acre plot will remain untouched until owners acquire new funding.