Nixing Casino Gambling in Coney Island Can Save Brooklyn from Economic Disaster

By: JV Editorial Board

If New York City didn’t have enough problems with spiraling crime and general mayhem that disrupts the everyday lives of its residents, it now appears that bidders for one of the New York City’s coveted few casino licenses released their vision on Friday for just what a dazzling new Coney Island casino and hotel would look like, according to a report in the New York Post.

The renderings show that the new gambling mecca would be constructed near the boardwalk and beach and be located right between the historic Cyclone roller coaster (one of the only wooden ones remaining) and the equally iconic Wonder Wheel. Both have occupied that spot for many decades.

The Post reported that the building plan also includes a convention hall and the hotel, being a sleek, glass enclosed edifice would be erected right behind the casino.

While attempting to create a splendid economic revival in Brooklyn is not a bad idea in and of itself,  if one takes a cursory glance at the Atlantic City model, one would see a dark side to this big bucks bonanza.

One need only take a drive through the downtrodden streets of Atlantic City to see the abject poverty that has come to define a town once known for its glittering casinos and scores of high rollers. Just ask the local denizens what life is like for them since the advent of the gaming industry in their town. Most residents live in squalor and the misery is palpable as it is etched on the faces of those who dwell in this dystopian hamlet.

Have any of these Atlantic City residents seen the benefits of the gargantuan revenue stream that is generated on a daily basis at the many casinos that dot the boardwalk in this southern New Jersey town?

Speaking to the Brooklyn Paper, a Coney Island native said, “From the 2009 rezoning, we learned the hard way. They promise you jobs, jobs, jobs, and what you get is bupkis,” as was reported by Archinect.com. “You get a few construction jobs and maybe a few minimum wage jobs, and the rest goes to the whole universe, they don’t try to hire in the community. So if you ask me, the only thing this is going to bring us is aggravation.”

She also said: “Everybody else on the peninsula has become a stepchild to the amusement area,” adding that “the amusement area, as it is, sucks up resources like the vacuum cleaner.”

Because the establishment of casino gambling requires developers to seek approval from a six-member community advisory board, which will be put together by the borough president, NYC Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Hochul, and local politicians, this could be a long and arduous process.

As New York State senator Brad Hoylman noted, “I don’t know one constituent who wants a casino. Outside forces want a casino. Insiders who live here don’t.”

There is a great deal of veracity in that observation and Brooklynites and others should have their say in the matter. The last thing that Coney Island needs is for avarice among landlords and developers to rein supreme at the expense of people who toil by the sweat of their brow to earn a living and still experience tremendous many economic challenges.

If New York City wants to be known as a gamblers paradise and the city wants to reel in the high rollers then it should follow the example of gaming giant Bally’s who is proposing a casino on the Trump Organization’s public golf course at Ferry Point.

Out in Queens, Resorts World and MGM’s Empire City are expected to submit bids to expand their offerings to include table games.  Steve Cohen, the owner of the Mets, would like to possibly create a partnership with Seminole Hard Rock casino to build a casino near Citi Field in Flushing.  Nothing wrong with that.

The consortium  that is lobbying for the establishment of casino gambling in Coney Island include such partners as Legends, which is co-owned by the NY Yankees organization, according to the Post.

The tragic problems that lie ahead for local residents of Coney Island would be voluminous to say the least if this gambling behemoth should become a reality.

One of the consultants of the consortium is former Brooklyn councilman Robert Cornegy. According to the Post report, he stated recently that “We have a responsibility to bring economic development to underserved communities. The Coney casino does that.”

Really?  Does this consortium, who are eager to line their own pockets, actually expect us to believe that their main objective is to bring a economic boon to “underserved” communities? Just how, precisely, will underserved communities be uplifted when none of these folks will ever see a dime in gambling revenues?

It would behoove all New Yorkers and especially those who live in Coney Island to jettison the notion of casino gambling.