Blakeman says casino now 'very unlikely' at Nassau Coliseum site, will shift to 'Plan B' with partner Sands
Sands abruptly abandoned its Nassau Coliseum casino project on April 23, after spending years and money to prepare a bid for a $6 billion casino and resort. Credit: Howard Schnapp
ALBANY — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman on Thursday all but acknowledged that time has run out on a proposed casino project at the Nassau Coliseum, saying "we are going to pursue a different direction," or what he called "Plan B."
Asked if there is any chance a Nassau Coliseum-centered bid could be submitted by June 27, the deadline for developers to apply for one of three casino licenses in New York, Blakeman said: "I think it’s very, very unlikely."
It’s the closest officials have come to saying the casino project first proposed by Las Vegas Sands in December 2022 is done.
Sands will still pursue a sports-entertainment-hospitality project at the coliseum site, Blakeman said.
WHAT NEWSDAY FOUND
- Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman all but acknowledged that time has run out on a proposed casino project at the Nassau Coliseum, saying "we are going to pursue a different direction," or what he called "Plan B."
- Partner Las Vegas Sands abruptly abandoned its casino project on April 23, while saying it was talking to a "third party" about taking over the casino bid. But a June 27 bid deadline meant time was running short.
- Sands will still pursue a sports-entertainment-hospitality project at the coliseum site, Blakeman said.
"We have a Plan B and Sands is going to be very involved in that," Blakeman said, "investing hundreds of millions of dollars in Nassau County. So they’re going to fulfill their obligations to us and we’re very excited. It’s going to be an exciting place."
Blakeman talked to Newsday while at the State Capitol to promote a series of Republican-backed bills not related to casinos.
New York gambling officials set a June 27 deadline for applications for three available licenses, and applications submitted must be "substantially complete." A final decision on winners is planned for December.
Sands abruptly abandoned its casino project on April 23, after spending years and money to prepare a bid for a $6 billion casino and resort. The company cited a volatile economy and the growth of online gambling, while saying it was talking to a "third party" about taking over the casino bid.
Newsday in May reported that discussions involving online sportsbook DraftKings and other potential partners about taking over the Sands project had failed to produce a deal.
Still, Sands executives weren’t acknowledging the casino idea was dead, saying other bidders were possible — while admitting time was running out.
The field of would-be casino bidders has been changing as the deadline nears. Besides Sands, Wynn Resorts recently folded its proposal for the Hudson Yards area of Manhattan. Bally’s still doesn’t have state and New York City legislation it needs to even submit a bid for its proposed casino project at a former Trump Organization golf course in the Bronx.
But bids are still expected from a number of developers, including potential sites at Aqueduct Racetrack, Citi Field, Yonkers Raceway, the East Side of Manhattan, Coney Island and Times Square.
Even while dropping its casino bid, Sands continues to pursue zoning changes for the 72-acre coliseum site and adjacent Marriott Hotel in Uniondale.
"No matter if that development includes a casino or not, putting new zoning in place that moves the site closer to redevelopment is an essential step toward realizing a beneficial project," Michael Levoff, senior vice president at Sands, said in a statement to Newsday last week.
Sands holds a 42-year operating lease on the property and is nearing the end of a county-led, state-mandated environmental review process to gain a 99-year development lease.
If approved by Town of Hempstead officials, the Mitchel Field Integrated Resort District would allow gambling and a 280-foot-tall hotel, initially intended for the casino, luxury hotel, spa, retail, restaurants and open space.
"It's going to be a place where people want to come," Blakeman said Thursday. "There will be a sports and entertainment venue, a hospitality component and there might be a convention center. We have no shortage of people who are calling the Sands and saying 'We want in.' So we're pursuing a different direction."
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