Entrepreneur and previous presidential candidate Andrew Yang has entered the running to be NYC’s next Mayor, and though New Yorkers were already quick to call him out for visiting a “bodega” (or lack thereof), his latest idea may be even more controversial.
Bringing a casino to NYC has been in the conversation for years, and though Governor Cuomo was usually against it, now that the state is in a $15 billion budget crisis due to COVID-19, he is reconsidering. The addition could potentially bring in millions of dollars of yearly revenue for the city and state.
Yang shared his support for the idea, saying, “There are many downsides to casinos…[but] I’d rather NY and NYC get that gaming revenue and activity rather than see it all go to neighboring states.”
We need big ideas. There are many downsides of casinos but the upside is $700m+ recurring annually largely from tourists now going to CT and NJ. That’s money for teachers, hospitals and other services. We should be trying to grow revenue where possible. https://t.co/t0YVGmMfkd
— Andrew Yang🧢🗽🇺🇸 (@AndrewYang) January 21, 2021
And he specifically proposed building one on Governors Island, the nature haven for New Yorkers in the warm months, full of green lawns, food, family-friendly activities and public art.
Sharing the idea in an interview with the The Breakfast Club radio show, he said that the city needs to “continue to develop new reasons to visit.”
“Who’s going to use that casino? Lots of tourists,” he said. “It’s going to generate tons of money, it’s going to be in an environment that is now essentially unused…you can see that becoming a major draw, generating hundreds of millions of dollars per year.”
Still, after the interview, the chair of the Governors Island Trust put out a statement saying that casinos are actually prohibited in the island’s deed, and that ““The current plans for Governors Island are focused on developing a mixed-use campus that will provide educational, commercial and hospitality offerings centered on the theme of climate change and sustainability.”
So, you probably won’t see one on the island anytime soon! As for if there will be some casino at all in NYC…only time will tell…
featured image source: Unsplash