The Brian Lehrer Show The Final Round for NYC Casino Licenses
Aug 21, 2025
Arun Venugopal, a senior reporter for WNYC's Race & Justice Unit, dives into the heated debate surrounding New York City's final three casino licenses. He discusses the economic promises made by developers versus the community's concerns about local disruption. Arun highlights the contentious process, including public hearings and community pushback, especially regarding a proposed casino in Coney Island. He explains worries about job promises not benefiting local residents and how new casinos could impact Broadway and tourism dynamics.
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Local CACs Hold Gatekeeping Power
- Community Advisory Committees (CACs) review casino proposals and must give a supermajority to advance them to the State Gaming Commission.
- If a CAC fails to reach four of six votes, that proposal is eliminated from the final licensing round.
Job Numbers Don't Guarantee Local Hiring
- Coney Island developers project 4,500 permanent jobs but only promise ~9% to Coney Island residents.
- Community members argue this allocation would deliver fewer than 200 local full-time jobs and fail to meet neighborhood employment needs.
Listeners Cite Nearby Casino Failures
- Callers described nearby casinos like Rivers Schenectady as depressed and underused, leaving little neighborhood benefit.
- Listeners warned repeated casino failures show they can harm local economies rather than help them.