Las Vegas Sands Gets Approval From County Rules Committee

MINEOLA, NY — Nassau County moved ahead with its latest effort to bring gambling to the Nassau Hub site.

The Rules Committee voted 5-1 on Monday in favor of giving Las Vegas Sands a lease to operate.

However, Allison O'Brien Silva with Say Just No to the Casino Civic Association, said the committee "tried to gaslight county residents into believing that their approval of a 42-year 'operating lease' is in no way linked to LVS’ plans to build a massive 4-million square foot casino complex in place of the Nassau Coliseum."

The only no vote came from Legislative Minority Leader Delia DeRiggi-Whitton.

"[We] urge the full legislature to follow DeRiggi-Whitton’s lead and vote no on August 5. This lease is based on a lie," O'Brien Silva said.

After legal challenges from Hofstra University, County Executive Bruce Blakeman cut the lease offer from 99 years and, most notably, without the casino as part of the Sands property.

"By carelessly giving LVS a lease, the County will allow LVS to not only tie up this land indefinitely, but also better position themselves for a casino license. We could not think of a worse fate for our community than as host of the country’s second-largest casino," O'Brien Silva said. "Las Vegas Sands' only goal is to fleece all of us of $2 billion a year in gambling losses. They see our community as a tank they can plug into and pump out our cash. They’ll use whatever means necessary to get that land. Our Legislature is complicit in this scheme and it is disgraceful."