Broadway opposition brings the curtain down on a planned Times Square
casino backed by Jay-Z
[September 18, 2025]
By PHILIP MARCELO
NEW YORK (AP) — A proposed Caesars Palace casino in Times Square that’s
backed by Jay-Z lost its bid for a gambling license Wednesday after
running into fierce opposition from Broadway theater owners and
producers who were worried about its potential impact on the theater
district.
A state-commissioned community advisory committee brought the curtain
down on the $5.4 billion plan to redevelop an office tower into a
Caesars-branded hotel, gambling and entertainment complex, rejecting it
in a vote that occurred after public hearings in which actors,
stagehands, restaurant owners and neighborhood residents lined up to
oppose the project.
Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green, which was the project's primary
developer and property owner, torched the decision following the brief
vote in a small conference room overlooking Times Square.
“This was a despicable display of cowardice, a complete lack of
consideration for all the people who would benefit from this," he
shouted at committee members as they silently filed out. “Go run and
hide.”
Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, a theater industry group
that opposed the project, said the vote protected the "magic of
Broadway” for thousands of workers and the millions of theatergoers.
“A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here,” he said.
Local board approval was required for the proposal to be considered by
the state Gaming Commission, which plans to award up to three licenses
for New York City-area casinos in December.
The fight over the casino was largely about whether an influx of
gambling tourists would help, or hurt, a theater district still
recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Times Square casino developers, which included Jay-Z’s ’s Roc Nation
company, proposed renovating an office tower at 1515 Broadway that
currently houses the Minskoff Theatre, which is home of the long-running
“The Lion King” musical.
They envisioned the gambling hall becoming one of the world’s preeminent
resort-casinos and had lined up other influential backers, including the
Rev. Al Sharpton and former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.
Jay-Z and other backers had insisted that the casino wouldn’t compete
with existing businesses in the neighborhood, but complement them.
“Casino visitors will buy tickets, fill seats, book dinners before
shows, and keep hotels in the area full,” he said in a recent interview
with City & State, a publication covering state and local politics.
Matt Goldman, a co-founder of the Blue Man Group, made a similar
argument at a public hearing earlier this month, asking the committee to
at least keep the casino proposal in the running so the state commission
could decide.
“I can tell you first-hand that more tourism, more gaming brings more
people to the restaurants, brings more people to theater,” he said,
noting his group's long-running show in Las Vegas.
But Joanne Borts, an actor and musician who has lived in the area for 20
years, dismissed such claims as “fiction.”
[to top of second column]
|
Casino opponents rally in Times Square on Wednesday, Sept. 17, 2025.
(AP Photo/Philip Marcelo)
 “A casino doesn’t put people on the
street. The casino locks people inside,” she said as she rallied
with other opponents in the square following Wednesday’s vote. “A
casino helps a casino.”
Bill Hubner, a union member who works on costumes and wardrobes for
Broadway productions, said his biggest concern was the destruction
of the famed theatre district’s culture.
“This is an ecosystem of artists and craftsmen and performers and
tourists and people with small industries like restaurants,” the
Harlem resident said.
Richard Gottfried, a committee member, said his “no” vote reflected
the strong opposition voiced at public hearings.
Sharpton criticized the vote as a decision that preserved the
historically white control of Times Square entertainment businesses.
The casino plan had promised to create a multimillion-dollar civil
rights museum.
“We will remember that in the community,” Sharpton said after the
committee voted.
Caesars Entertainment said in a statement that it was “disappointed
by the outcome” but respected the decision of the committee, which
was made up of six residents appointed by the governor, mayor and
other local officials.
Desiree Perez, CEO of Roc Nation, said “not every politician has the
courage and foresight to do what’s right for their constituents” as
she thanked Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams, whose appointees
were the lone votes in favor of the proposal.
Two other casinos had been proposed for Manhattan: one on its West
Side and another on its East Side near the headquarters of the
United Nations.
Another community board on Wednesday rejected one of those projects,
the Avenir, which would have been built near the Jacob K. Javits
Convention Center and the Hudson Yards area.
Also in the running is a Bally’s casino on a public golf course in
the Bronx that was once run by President Donald Trump’s company.
That project could result in a $115 million payday for the
Republican if developers win a license.
Elsewhere, a sprawling gambling hall is envisioned along Coney
Island’s iconic boardwalk in Brooklyn, and a Hard Rock casino has
been proposed next to Citi Field in Queens, where the New York Mets
play.
Two “racinos” — slot parlors built alongside horse racing tracks —
that are located in Yonkers and in Queens are also seeking a license
to become full-fledged casinos with live table games such as
blackjack and poker.
All contents © copyright 2025 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
