Vegas Sands NY Casino faces next test in bid to win coveted license

Article by : Charles Perrin Dec 4, 2024

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Las Vegas Sands is now expected to be scrutinized by the public over its plans to build a casino in New York as it seeks to win a coveted license.

After passing a significant hurdle in having its environmental plan to construct a $4 billion casino on the site of the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island approved, an in-person public hearing has now been slated for 9 December.

Currently, there are 11 proposals that are in the running to land a precious license in downstate New York, with 3 available permits up for grabs.

Sands’ 28,000-page draft environmental impact plan was greenlighted at the end of last month. Now, it has been made accessible for review and public comments on the Nassau legislature’s website.

Following the public hearing, comments will be accepted until 6 January before the next steps are finalized.

But opposition to the casino project has so far been vociferous. A ‘Say No the Casino’ group was formed, while nearby schools and local communities have expressed their fears over crime and potential traffic congestion.

Also, a notable concern has centered around water consumption levels, with Sands estimating the integrated resort’s water demands would be nearly 110,000 gallons per day.

Nevertheless, the project, which would take up 72 acres on the Coliseum site, has factored in outdoor community spaces.

Sands is supposedly adamant that if the Long Island casino comes to fruition, it would stump up $563 million in annual taxes, of which $440 million would go to local schools and the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA).

With NY Governor Kathy Hochul vetoing plans last week to accelerate the licensing process, the deadline for prospective bids has now been pushed back to 27 June 2025.

Sands may believe it’s on the right track, but the public hearing will be the litmus test.

If they can appease the locals, then perhaps the project may have legs in the long term.