Sands Pulls Plug On 2-Year Battle To Bring Casino To Nassau

UNIONDALE, NY — The Las Vegas Sands has dropped its plans to build a hotel/casino at the Nassau Hub site in Uniondale.

It's been a two-year battle for Sands, but County Executive Bruce Blakeman was leading the charge to bring the casino property to the Nassau Coliseum location.

"County Executive Blakeman has been aware of certain pressures that have factored into Las Vegas Sands’ rethinking of land-based brick and mortar casinos in the United States. The county executive is grateful that Las Vegas Sands is committed to the development of the Coliseum site with or without a casino," Blakeman spokesperson Christopher Boyle said in a statement.

"We are in the process of attempting to secure an agreement with a third party to whom we can transact the opportunity to bid for a casino license on the Nassau Coliseum site. This would include those that may be able to address both land-based and digital markets in New York," The Las Vegas Sands said in a statement. "In order to keep maximum optionality for development at the site, the company will be continuing work to secure all entitlements necessary to both allow a third party to bid for a casino license as well as effect an alternative development program."

However, Garden City Mayor Edward Finneran wants the casino talk to end now.

“We are thrilled with today’s news that LV Sands has pulled out of the competition to obtain a NYS casino license at the Nassau Coliseum site. Nonetheless, the Garden City board will not rest until Sands’ attempt to off-load its leasehold obligations to the county and transfer its NYS gaming license application status to a third party is dead."

Originally, the Sands and Nassau County entered into a 99-year lease to build a high-end hotel and casino at the Coliseum. After a lawsuit and pushback, a new 42-year agreement was signed.

The group "Say No to the Casino" voiced its displeasure with the deal, outlining the negative impacts a casino to the area could bring, including a rise in nearby property taxes, crime and gambling addiction. Now that the Sands pulled the plug on the slot machines, the group is "thrilled that Las Vegas Sands has walked away from this fight," said spokesperson Allison O'Brien Silva.

But Blakeman spokesperson Boyle said: "Nassau County will crystallize within the next 30 days whether or not to entertain a casino component or develop the site without. In either event, there will be an exciting new development that will create jobs and positive economic activity."

If a third party gets involved to create a casino, "Our unrelenting opposition will fight until the end," O'Brien Silva said.