The Las Vegas Sands casino proposal will continue as planned.
Despite protests, the Nassau County Planning Commission on Thursday unanimously voted to hand over control of Nassau Coliseum to Sands for its proposed casino project.
While many anti-casino advocates gathered to oppose the company’s potential presense in Uniondale, Nassau County officials moved forward on a lease proposed on June 20 that gives Sands control of the coliseum and surrounding land for 42 years.
And while those opponents were vocal, there were plenty of supporters to celebrate the move.
“Sands is the employer who is going to keep paying for our people that are unionized, local Long Islanders,” Grant Newburger, director of communications for the Building and Construction Trades Council of Nassau and Suffolk Counties, said in a statement.
“This is the entity that is trying to take over the Coliseum right now. We all live on Long Island. And we just want to feed our families and I want to make sure they can go to work tomorrow.”
New lease approved for Sands to take control of Nassau Coliseum
Sands has long targeted the Nassau Hub as the site of a downstate New York casino.
The company first entered into a lease agreement with Nassau County in April 2023, when officials approved a 99-year lease agreement.
Yet the deal quickly found its way into legal trouble, eventually resulting in a state court invalidating the agreement and sending Sands and Nassau County officials back to square one.
Now, though, Sands has a new plan to move forward with its Sands New York proposal that will feature the third-largest casino in the US if it receives one of three downstate licenses and follows through with its plan for a 396,726-square-foot plan.
Support present for Sands, but opposition makes voices heard
With three downstate casino licenses up for grabs, which could open the door to offer NY online casinos should lawmakers legalize iGaming, Las Vegas Sands obviously sees the value in opening a casino resort near New York City.
And with Nassau Coliseum vacant since the New York Islanders left in 2015, both Sands and county officials see the need and upside of agreeing to terms. And they’re not alone, with a number of individuals holding signs reading “Say Yes to Sands” in support of the casino project.
However, plenty of protesters made their presence known, as well. And they made it clear the number of issues they had with the project, including the estimated 23,000 visitors brought in daily to the casino that will overwhelm the neighborhood.
“The fear is here that we’ll build this mammoth casino,” Deputy Mayor of Garden City Bruce Chester told WABC, “and then in a few years it’ll be closed down.”
Members of longtime opponent Say No to the Casino Civic Association also expressed their disapproval.
“What kind of environment are we creating for our future generations,” East Meadow resident Liz McCoy said, “if we allow a casino corporation to manipulate 72 acres of prime Nassau County real estate into something that resembles a mini Atlantic City?”
Added George Krug of the Say No to the Casino:
“We know this is going to leave a trail of damaged families, a trail of damaged households that all gambling operations do by virtue of problem gambling.”
In a statement released after the vote, Las Vegas Sands said that people are “entitled to their opinion” but added that “there is much greater level of support than opposition.”
