Supporters and opponents of a proposed Caesars Palace casino in the Broadway theater district will step out into New York City’s heat wave this week with two separate rallies in Times Square.
The rallies – today for the opponents, tomorrow for the supporters – come as developer SL Green readies its official bid proposal to be filed Friday with the New York State Gaming Commission.
The anti-casino coalition – including the Broadway League, IATSE, Sardi’s, The Shubert Organization, block associations and others – will rally today (June 25) at 5 pm/ET at Times Square’s Red Steps.
Caesars Palace Times Square — SL Green, Caesars Entertainment and Roc Nation — will host a rally at the same spot Thursday, June 26, at 3:15 p.m./ET. Expected to attend are local Hell’s Kitchen residents, small business owners, union members, Broadway workers, and representatives from Times Square entertainment venues.
In its announcement of today’s really, the opponents said, “With Broadway breaking records and crime down in Times Square, developer’s pitch that their casino will ‘solve problems’ falls flat with the people who have turned around Midtown…Broadway’s recent record-breaking season is further evidence that the pandemic-era casino proposal is out of touch with the neighborhood and its resurgence.”
A casino, the No Times Square Casino Coalition states, “promises to hurt Broadway and the economic activity it supports, prey on vulnerable New Yorkers and generate fresh quality of life problems for residents.”
The developers say that a casino at 1515 Broadway (sharing the building with the Minskoff Theatre and its longtime tenant The Lion King) would bring as many as 7 million new visits to the district annually and improve safety (with additional street lighting and foot traffic). The Caesars Palace Times Square partners have pledged to limit the casino’s number of restaurants and hotel space “to create excess demand for dozens of existing establishments in neighboring communities.”
The developers say more than 200 organizations and businesses support the casino, including local restaurants, hotels, residents, and unions such as Actors’ Equity Association.
Yesterday, the developers sweetened their proposal by pledging to make a $5 million commitment to support the revered Callen-Lorde Community Health Center if its bid to the state for a gaming license is accepted. Included in the financial amount is $3 million for a new Callen-Lorde Community Health Center for Excellence in Sexual Health, which would be located in Hell’s Kitchen, neighbor to Times Square.
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