Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman endorsed a controversial plan that would allow Las Vegas Sands Corp. to operate a casino at the Nassau Coliseum site.
The county owns the property around Nassau Coliseum and Blakeman announced a 99-year lease with Sands during a Wednesday press conference.
But it’s a roll of the dice, as the deal, which has garnered pushback from local educational leaders, is far from done.
State regulators would have to award the Las Vegas Sands a license to operate, and the Republican-controlled Nassau County legislature must also give its blessing to the transfer of property to Sands.
“The Sands complex at the Nassau Hub will become the number one entertainment facility in the United States,” Blakeman said in a phone interview.
The Sands gaming complex would also include a luxury hotel, meeting space, a spa and an entertainment venue separate from the casino.
According to the lease agreement, Sands has agreed to pay Nassau County nearly $60 million up front — regardless of whether the company wins a casino license.
Blakeman also estimated that Sands would pump more than $100 million in revenues yearly into Nassau governments and school districts.
“Our company’s track-record of developing iconic, economy-changing developments is well-documented and we have every intention of bringing both our proven ability and a sizeable appetite to developing here on Long Island,” Sands Chairman and CEO Rob Goldstein said in a statement.
“Today is an important step in a process we hope ends with our company ultimately receiving a gaming license from the state of New York.”
Others vying for one of 3 downstate casino licenses include: the owners of the existing Aqueduct and Yonkers who want to offer table games; Bally’s at the Trump golf course property in The Bronx; Mets owner Steve Cohen near Citi Field in Willets Point; the Steve Ross-Related Companies/Wynn Resorts partnership for Hudson Yards; landlord SL Green/Caesars Entertainment team in Times Square; and a consortium pushing for a gaming facility in Coney Island, whose partners include Legends, which is co-owned by the Yankees organization.
The Nassau Coliseum Hub is a controversial location, located along heavily-trafficked Hempstead Turnpike in Uniondale, critics said.
Also, Hofstra University — whose campus is near the Coliseum — is spearheading opposition to the plan.
“The Nassau Hub is an entirely inappropriate location for a casino. It is surrounded by educational institutions from preschool through graduate school, and a diversity of suburban communities that should not be exposed to the increased traffic congestion, crime, economic harm to local businesses, and other negative impacts that a casino development would likely bring,” the trustees of Hofstra said in a recent open letter.
“There are other locations in and around New York City to site a casino that are not in such proximity to multiple educational institutions where so many young people live and learn.”
Meanwhile, the Nassau County Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee last week voted against transferring the Nassau Hub lease to the Las Vegas Sands Corporation.
Sands last year sold its properties on the Las Vegas strip, notably the Venetian casino and had been focusing on its gaming facilities overseas in Macao and Singapore — but winning a casino license in New York would amount to a revival in the U.S. market.
Sands was formerly headed by Sheldon Adelson, who died in 2021.
The company hired former New York Gov. David Paterson as a vice president to help make its case.
The Islanders hockey team used to play at the Nassau Coliseum, winning four consecutive Stanley Cup championships from 1980 to 1983 at the “Old Barn” and the Nets basketball team won two championships playing at the Coliseum in the 1970s.
The Islanders now play at the new UBS arena next to Belmont racetrack in Elmont on the Nassau-Queens border. The old Nassau Coliseum was no longer considered suitable for professional hockey.
Blakeman said as part of the deal, Sands has discretion to tear down the Coliseum or renovate and repurpose it.
The county leader said he prefers that the Coliseum remain intact because of its “iconic” historical significance to Long Islanders — but it’s Sands’ decision on what to do with it.
He also countered opponents, insisting that the casino complex with a hotel and entertainment venue would be a plus for Hofstra and its students. He said jobs will be available to them.
Blakeman did acknowledge that “traffic is an issue” and Sands would have to come up with a plan to mitigate it.