Despite an arena teeming with titans of industry, the architects of The Coney’s illustrious future are undaunted by the prospect of winning one of the tantalizing triumvirate of casino licenses designated for New York’s bustling downstate region.
Nestled within the storied tapestry of Coney Island’s wintry silhouette, with the dormant Wonder Wheel and sparse visitor throng, a development dreamscape is poised to emerge, transforming the Brooklyn seascape into a destination for all seasons. Amid this vision stands Global Gaming Solutions, a beacon of the Chickasaw Nation’s entrepreneurial spirit, in alliance with Saratoga Casino Holdings, alongside the monolithic New York real estate mogul, Thor Equities, and the storied Legends Hospitality. Together, they’re ready to unfurl a $3 billion wager on Brooklyn’s hallowed shores.
In an enlightened discourse with Casino.org, Paul Pippin, the mastermind COO of Global Gaming Solutions, and Saratoga’s visionary CEO, Sam Gerrity, unveiled the essence of their billion-dollar resort proposition. The essence of this plan breathes life into Coney Island’s iconic facades—the Cyclone roller coaster and Wheel of Wonder—casting them as cornerstones of the splendid resort aimed to rise at the crossroads of Surf and Stillwell.
The elusive quest for the licenses, each with its own $500 million golden key, unfolds under the discerning eyes of the New York Gaming Facility Location Board, who will decree the victors through a meticulously weighted scale. The stake is clear: to spawn economic vitality and weave a fabric of new business, local impact, workforce fortification, and diversity.
“Bringing economic revitalization to Coney Island isn’t just a possibility—it’s a certainty with our casino,” Gerrity proclaimed. “We have the power to invigorate and to scaffold the community with fresh enterprises.”
Each weighed criterion echoes in the halls of the Board, and Pippin asserts, “Coney Island epitomizes those metrics. Our plan will not merely breathe new life into the Boardwalk; it will redefine it as a beacon of entertainment, rekindling its legacy as a sought-after resort.”
The pledge to integrate the casino seamlessly into the community’s fabric is already gaining traction, with Brooklyn’s Community Board 11—the first of its kind—adding its indelible mark of support. The continuous crusade for advocacy has amassed a battalion of over 10,000 area denizens, their signatures etching a collective endorsement.
Pippen and Gerrity hail this groundswell of backing as a testament to their commitment to communal discourse, embracing the wax and wane of public sentiment. “The momentum is palpable,” Pippin stated, recognizing the endorsement as a catalyst for ongoing refinement of their proposal. “Heeding feedback and addressing communal trepidations remain at the heart of our mission.”
Yet, with promise comes concern: the specter of crime, financial despair, housing pressures, and tax burdens loom. The architects of The Coney, however, strive for harmony, envisaging a symbiosis where loyalty programs extend beyond the casino walls, beckoning patrons to the local businesses that are the lifeblood of Coney Island.
The looming enclave of congestion, another specter, is met with strategic foresight, as Gerrity and Pippen envision collaboration with transit authorities to conjure express routes that bridge Coney Island with the world beyond.
Amidst this dance of development, jobs cascade as another pivotal theme. The Coney’s promise of 4,000 jobs extends a hand first to the denizens of the People’s Playground, ensuring the community’s heartbeat pulses strong in the resort’s veins.
As the bidding for the coveted licenses unfurls—with ten contenders laying claim, including behemoths like MGM’s Empire City and Genting’s Resorts World—the stage is set for the Gaming Facility Location Board’s discernment. Hopefuls await the final curtain call, post the Board’s second inquisition.
Upon qualification, a six-member Community Advisory Committee, an assemblage of state and local appointees, will fine-tune each bid. It’s a delicate dance where dissonance leads to disbandment and harmony reaps endorsement.
On the fiscal horizon, Governor Kathy Hochul prophesies a windfall of $1.5 billion from these gaming licenses by the year 2024, envisioning a surge in gaming tax revenue in the years to follow. The advent of such prosperity may unfurl sooner with the ascension of Empire City and Resorts World to the casino echelons, yet the true jackpot lies in the potential of three novel empires built from nothing but aspiration and ambition.
