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The rejection of the proposed casino in Coney Island represents more than just the halting of one ill-conceived development plan. It is, at its core, a victory for families, children, and community values that have long defined Brooklyn’s neighborhoods. Thanks to the tireless advocacy of The Jewish Voice, alongside the unified efforts of synagogues, schools, and community centers across south Brooklyn, a project that threatened to corrode the very moral fabric of our community has been stopped in its tracks.
For five years, and with intensified focus over the last ten months, The Jewish Voice has consistently sounded the alarm: casino gambling is not merely a matter of entertainment, but a corrosive influence that feeds addiction, destroys families, and exploits the most vulnerable. In editorials, reports, and community forums, the publication has reminded New Yorkers that casinos thrive not on prosperity but on loss, preying upon working-class families and young people with promises of instant riches that rarely materialize.
On September 29, the local siting committee is expected to officially strike down “The Coney,” a planned $3 billion casino development promoted by Thor Equities https://x.com/ThorEquities and its partners, including the Chickasaw Nation. With four of the six members—Councilmember Justin Brannan https://x.com/JustinBrannan, Borough President Antonio Reynoso https://x.com/ReynosoBrooklyn, State Senator Jessica Scarcella-Spanton https://x.com/jess_scarcella?lang=en, and Marissa Solomon—committing their votes against the project, the proposal cannot advance. Brannan’s emphatic statement in the Brooklyn Paper underscored what The Jewish Voice has argued from the outset: Coney Island deserves investment that uplifts families, not enterprises that will undermine them.
This is no small victory. Casinos are designed to erode financial stability and social cohesion. The glittering facades conceal harsh realities: compulsive gambling, debt, crime, and the slow disintegration of household life. Where casinos emerge, pawn shops and predatory lenders inevitably follow. Children are left in environments where financial desperation, rather than educational aspiration, becomes the norm. By contrast, neighborhoods anchored in faith, learning, and communal responsibility—principles long championed by The Jewish Voice—offer security, growth, and continuity for generations to come.
Opponents of the casino, led vocally by The Jewish Voice, have also drawn attention to the symbolic desecration such a project would represent. Coney Island is a historic site of family amusement, a place synonymous with wholesome recreation and intergenerational joy. To replace that legacy with the lure of slot machines and gaming tables and the attendant adverse societal effects such as drug and gambling addiction as well as the proliferation of prostitution and rampant crime would have been nothing short of a colossal betrayal.
Moreover, gambling establishments rarely deliver on their economic promises. While casino developers tout jobs and revenue, the reality—documented time and again in cities across America—is that profits leave the community while social costs remain. Addiction treatment, increased policing, traffic congestion and lost productivity dwarf the narrow gains such projects bring.
In pushing back against “The Coney,” The Jewish Voice reminded leaders and residents alike that progress is not measured by short-term profits but by the preservation of values. It rallied synagogues that spoke of moral responsibility, schools that voiced concern for the well-being of children, and community centers that recognized the threat to the neighborhood character. This broad coalition of conscience succeeded in forcing decision-makers to listen, and ultimately to act.
The outcome offers an inspiring reminder that vigilance pays dividends. Communities can and must hold the line against enterprises that promise glamour but deliver despair. In rejecting the Coney Island casino, Brooklyn has chosen integrity over expediency, family over fleeting fortune, and values over vice.
As we look toward September 29, when the decision becomes official, the lesson is clear: communities that speak with moral clarity can protect themselves from powerful interests. The Jewish Voice has proven that advocacy rooted in principle and persistence can preserve what matters most—the sanctity of family life and the moral foundation of our neighborhoods.
The death of “The Coney” is not just the defeat of a casino. It is the triumph of community spirit, the vindication of years of steadfast advocacy, and a reaffirmation of the belief that New York’s future must be built not on addiction and exploitation, but on education, stability, and faith.
https://tjvnews.com/opinion/jv-editorial/say-no-to-casino-gambling-in-coney-island/