A Casino in Times Square? — Page 5

There’s nothing wrong with more work opportunities for actors between gigs.
But like everything else with this casino, this benefit seems massively overstated. How many people will really be employed in the plum gaming floor roles? A couple hundred at most? And they’re not going to all be AEA members.

Anyone who thinks this is going to be a net benefit to the arts community or to New York a couple down years the line has the critical thinking skills of a Milky Way wrapper.

BorisTomashevsky said: "

• $225 million for Broadway:More than 835,000 additional Broadway tickets are projected to be sold annually as a result of the project’s boost to demand overall, generating $124 million in annual revenue."

That's a really bold claim, as it presumes to attract people who otherwise would not come have come to NYC and/or who would not see a show. Not even Vegas could sustain its "Broadway West" experiment from the early 2000s. I'd say the casino will likely benefit more from theatergoers than Broadway will benefit from the casino.

Kad said: "Copying and pasting the casino’s own pitch is hardly an argument, especially when their extremely rosy estimated economic benefits are entirely unexplained.


How is it feasible that a single casino will increase Broadway ticket sales by approximately 6%? How is it feasible that it’ll result in nearly $1bn in additional retail sales around? Their figures all seem to be predicated on the idea that this will attract legions of visitors who would not otherwise come here, but they don’t explain how they arrive at that conclusion. I remain exceptionally skeptical that there is a sizable population of people who would love to come to NYC but don’t because there isn’t a convenient place to gamble."

Companies like this do years of market research to figure out their numbers. I don’t know how they arrived at that conclusion either, but as a reasonably successful parent company I’d imagine they haven’t got to where they are by just throwing darts at a board and using those numbers for proposals. I’m sure their PR department can provide background on how they arrive at those numbers if anyone really wants to know.

In general, I think people should be able to do what they want with their property, and I don't see any reason why this would be an exception to that principle. I'm not so naive to think that such an argument would convince those who are opposed to the project, but I find it disturbing that it doesn't even seem to be part of the argument.

Kad said: "There isno place in the whole country a project like this wouldn’t be subject to approval from local authorities."

I think kdogg is meaning the voice of the general public on this board, saying “We don’t want you here!” and “Go away!” as if the Minskoff tower belongs to the general public. Did anyone care when Junior’s opened a new place a few blocks north on Broadway?

Huss417 said: "BorisTomashevsky said: "Kad said: "There isno place in the whole country a project like this wouldn’t be subject to approval from local authorities."

I think kdogg is meaning the voice of the general public on this board, saying “We don’t want you here!” and “Go away!” as if the Minskoff tower belongs to the general public.Did anyone care when Junior’s opened a new place a few blocks north on Broadway?"

Are you comparing a new casino to a new Junior's?"

Initially I was asking if anyone had a problem with a company doing what they want with their land. But now that you’ve really made me think about it, sure, why not? The sugar and processed ingredients Junior’s serves people arguably does more harm to society than a casino - which provides millions of dollars in social funding - does.

How does Junior’s contribute to society in a positive way?

Just to clarify, I understand how things work, and I'm not arguing that there shouldn't be significant public input. My personal take is that, ultimately, people should be able to do what they want with their property unless there is some really compelling reason to stop them. As I said, I'm just disappointed that this principle - which I would have thought to be a rather classical American idea - never seems to even be part of the debate. Even the developers themselves apparently feel the need to pretend like this casino will be God's gift to Times Square rather than just another business trying to rake in tourist dollars, as if there's anything wrong with the latter concept.

Looking at this map, it just looks like another business in Times Square that residents will avoid. It's not great but another business would have simply moved in there anyways. SL Green. Caesars, and ROC Nation have a lot of powerful people and unlimited resources. They proposed this years ago and it seems like it will be a long slog. Meh.

KrupYou said: "Help me understand why people might be against this multi billion dollar investment in the city?"

Broadway’s right — Jay-Z’s Times Square casino bid must fail

https://nypost.com/2025/06/28/entertainment/broadways-right-jay-zs-times-square-casino-bid-must-fail?

Quick google search:

Community Benefits:

• $250 million Community Investment Package:

  This includes a range of initiatives such as:
  • $81 million Public Safety Plan: Developed with input from former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton, it aims to improve safety in the surrounding neighborhood.
  • $15 million Civil Rights Museum: A new museum spearheaded by the Civil Rights Foundation.
  • $5 million to Callen-Lorde: For the development of a Center for Excellence in Sexual Health.
  • $22.5 million over 15 years to Manhattan Plaza: An affordable housing complex primarily housing Broadway workers.
  • $98 million for Broadway workers: Focused on childcare, healthcare, student debt relief, and job support.
  • $20 million for Broadway tickets: For underserved families.
  • Other initiatives: Include support for after-school programs, childcare, senior support, youth educational arts programs, and public space improvements.

• Economic Impact:

  The project is projected to generate significant revenue for the city and state, with estimates including:
  • $7 billion in tax revenue in the first decade .
  • $26 billion in spillover revenue for nearby businesses .
  • Over $800 million annually in retail spending .
  • 636,000+ new annual overnight visits to local hotels .
  • $65 million in new annual Broadway ticket sales .

Support and Opposition:

• Support:

  The project has garnered support from various groups, including:
  • Actors' Equity Association: The union representing Broadway actors and stage managers.
  • AFM Local 802: The union representing Broadway musicians.
  • Local businesses: Including restaurants, hotels, and other establishments in and around Times Square.
  • Community organizations: Including the Coalition for a Better Times Square.

L-O-L if anyone believes that a Civil Rights Museum will be built or is even a plausible reality. The current administration has taken over the Kennedy Center “because woke bad” and they are actively working to pass the “Restoring Truth and Sanity to American History Act” to ban ‘activists from rewriting our pasts’ and to ‘celebrate what makes America great’ by way of whitewashing history and censoring the Smithsonian institutes from producing historical facts.

Get ****ing real. That civil rights museum is not happening and was never going to. You people are pathetic in the way you are fighting for a damn gambling center as if this city or anyone inhabiting it requires one to survive. The city will be just fine without it, as will your debts.

KrupYou said: "Quick google search:

Community Benefits::"

Again, this is provided by Caesers to help them convince the community to let them build without providing how they came to any of those numbers. It also hinges on the fact that they believe what is keeping that money out of Times Square right now is a lack of a casino. People are going to come to Times Square because they want to. They don't need a casino to coerce them. Every community in the country has a casino within spitting distance, you're not luring them to NYC with a promise of one casino.