Community divided over $3bn casino proposal for Coney Island

Opponents of a proposed Coney Island casino gathered this week to make their point clear.

US.- The Coney – a proposed downstate New York casino from the team of Saratoga Holdings, Global Gaming Solutions of the Chickasaw Nation, Legends, and Thor Equities has proposed a $3 billion development plan that would also feature a 500-room hotel and a 2,500-seat concert venue.

The Coney promises to incorporate more than a dozen restaurants in the development as well as 92,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

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According to the group, the project will create thousands of new jobs and will become “a year-round economic engine” for the community as it “will eliminate the seasonal ebbs and flows that have long plagued the local business community.”

In a statement to News 12, the team behind The Coney emphasized that the group “continues to work with and listen to the community so that it can develop an economically impactful project that will bring improved infrastructure, thousands of jobs and billions of dollars of investment to Coney Island and beyond.

Gaining the support of the affected community is key to any bidder looking to acquire one of three downstate casino licenses, which could allow license-holders to offer online casinos in New York once lawmakers legalize iGaming.

Each of the dozen or so proposals has faced its share of pushback. The Coney, though, seems to have plenty of support as well.