Times Square casino considered

Is Times Square getting a casino?

One of the areas under consideration for a new casino is Manhattan’s Times Square but not everyone likes the idea.

NEW YORK – Three new casino gambling licenses will be issued in the New York City area and one of the areas that could get a casino is Times Square.

"I have been saying that even if you don't like gaming, you don't like gambling, you never walk into a casino, you probably benefit by this," state Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr. said. "The revenue that it brings to the state and certainly educational funds is significant."

Each of the license will cost at least $500 million in fees.  And then there will be tax revenue on the money they make.

Addabbo, a Democrat from Queens, is on the Senate Gaming and Wagering Committee. He supports either building new casinos or adding to the existing ones in Queens and Yonkers.

"We already have it in New York, and all we're doing here is expediting this expansion of downstate gaming," Addabbo said.

Not everyone is ready to welcome casinos to the neighborhood. Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, a Democrat who represents parts of Manhattan objects to building a casino in the borough.

"I feel very strongly that a casino does not belong in Manhattan," he said. "I don't know about other parts of the city, but I'm quite certain that it does not belong in Manhattan."

While some might consider Times Square the perfect place to roll the dice, Gottfried, whose district includes the area, said it's not suitable.

"We've worked very hard for decades to upgrade Times Square and make it a much better place for all New Yorkers than it was only two or three or four decades ago," he said. "I would not want to see casinos moving in and really turning the clock back."

The union representing hotel workers said expanding gaming has the potential to provide thousands of jobs in an industry devastated by the pandemic.

The Broadway League has come out against a casino in Times Square.  It released a statement saying:  "The Broadway League does not endorse a casino in Times Square.  The addition of a casino will overwhelm the already densely congested area and would jeopardize the entire neighborhood whose existence is dependent on the success of Broadway.  Broadway is the key driver of tourism and risking its stability would be detrimental to the City." NY casino license battle heating up

Bidding wars are heating up over three authorized downstate casinos in New York, and two giants of the gaming and real estate industry are coming together to bid to build a casino in Times Square.