The Massive Apple is about to roll the cube on playing, and plenty of billionaire traders need to strive their luck at successful the large prize.
Elected officers have lastly licensed one on line casino license within the Massive Apple (that is proper—only one for a metropolis of 8 million folks), inflicting an enormous and typically ugly bidding warfare between numerous rich suitors.
One get together is nonother than Jay-Z and his leisure firm Roc Nation. The entrepreneur well-known for saying, “I am not a businessman, I am a enterprise, man,” has teamed up with SL Inexperienced and Caesars Leisure to suggest constructing a Caesars Palace within the coronary heart of bustling Occasions Sq..
In an open letter on Roc Nation’s Instagram and Twitter titled “It is Time, Occasions Sq.,” the corporate made a case for why they need to be granted New York Metropolis’s playing golden ticket.
“The successful group should have a observe file of turning phrases into deeds — of placing New York Metropolis and its residents first — folks of all races, religions, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations and socio-economic statuses,” the assertion mentioned. “Our proposal lays out an modern plan that won’t solely draw further vacationers to our metropolis however may even improve the lives of on a regular basis New Yorkers.”
Jay-Z’s plan guarantees to offer again to surrounding companies, profit mass transit, put money into sanitation and safety, and “ship a much-needed transportation plan,” amongst different issues. “Our bid commits $115 million for numerous theater packages that embrace daycare for Broadway staff and their households,” the letter mentioned.
Associated: Jay-Z Invests Massive Cash in a Robo Pizza Truck That is Fixing a Main Meals Trade Downside
An all-out bidding warfare
New York voters authorised of Las Vegas-like casinos of their state in 2013. However it wasn’t till final yr that elected officers in Albany licensed on line casino licenses for downstate New York, together with New York Metropolis, Lengthy Island, and Westchester County.
The prospect of opening a completely operational on line casino within the largest metropolis in America has billionaires salivating to turn out to be the King of New York casinos. Except for Jay-Z, different bidders embrace New York Mets proprietor Steve Cohen, Gristedes grocery store scion John Catsimatidis, and Hudson Yards developer Stephen Ross.
“Each billionaire desires a on line casino. The epitome of success within the US is to personal your personal on line casino,” a supply instructed The New York Submit.
Nonetheless, the billionaires have completely different concepts about the place they need to construct their casinos. Cohen has teamed up with Laborious Rock and needs to open a on line casino round Citi Area in Queens, the place the Mets play. Catsimatidis is eyeing Coney Island, well-known for its boardwalk, amusement park, and scorching canine consuming contest. Ross, who has partnered with Wynn, desires to place the on line casino within the newly developed Hudson Yards.
Accusations of a ‘misinformation’ marketing campaign
The Roc Nation letter, which additionally appeared in adverts within the New York Submit, New York Each day Information, and Amsterdam Information, accused some “conflicted events” of spreading “misinformation,” claiming they’d written the letter to set the file straight.
Whereas Roc Nation didn’t identify names, some imagine they could be referring to a coalition of Broadway theater house owners and producers, the midtown Manhattan neighborhood, and tenant organizations calling themselves No Occasions Sq. On line casino.
Based on an article in Deadline, the coalition opposes constructing a Caesars Palace in Occasions Sq., additionally house to most Broadway theaters, citing site visitors congestion, financial disruption, and making the world “much less welcoming to households.”