Celebs address committee
Two celebrities have drawn the ire of the Broadway League after testifying in favor of a Times Square casino in New York City before a Community Advisory Committee.
Rapper Fat Joe and radio host Charlamagne tha God gave positive testimonies for the casino proposal backed by Caesars Entertainment, SL Green, and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
$1m benefit cash injection
The Bronx-born Fat Joe (Joseph Cartagena) spoke about the $1m benefit cash injection for New Yorkers, while according to the New York Post, Charlamagne (Lenard Larry McKelvey) “gave the Caesar’s Palace Times Square casino bid a plug.”
Broadway League President Jason Laks, however, took exception to the celebrities testifying while Broadway workers couldn’t, thanks to New York’s first Times Square casino hearing held during matinee showtimes.
Battleground Times Square
Broadway theater owners made their feelings clear before and after the state hearing with “No Times Square Casino” slogans adorning multiple marquees and digital billboards in the downstate New York area.
The Caesars bid would see a casino in the 1515 Broadway area, home of the Minskoff Theatre and the Disney hit musical “The Lion King.” The Broadway League, West Side merchants, and neighborhood groups are fighting against that possibility.
The Post cited Lax as stating during the CAC hearing that a casino would “create a black hole in Times Square”
traffic congestion, crime and chaos”
“It will bring traffic congestion, crime and chaos that we don’t need.”
Countering Lax was Cartagena, who spoke about the benefits of a casino for needy New Yorkers and minorities, pointing to his own Latino heritage.
“Times Square deserves the casino, deserves the jobs” Cartagena testified. According to reports, around 150 people in total testified before the CAC, including members of Rev. Al Sharpton’s National Action Network, who testified in favor of the casino.
What next?
The Times Square casino project needs four out of the six CAC members to vote in its favor or face rejection. Reviewing the Caesars et al proposal will be representatives for Governor Kathy Hochul, the New York City mayor (currently Eric Adams, but there is an election in November), Manhattan borough president Mark Levine, a local state senator, assembly member, and city council member.
If it gets the CAC nod, the Times Square bid heads to the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, which will deliberate before recommending three bids for downstate casino licenses by December 1.
The New York Gaming Commission then has until the end of 2025 to make the final decision on licensing for the successful bidders.
