September 18, 2025
Jay-Z had big plans to bring the first-ever casino to Times Square, but a Broadway coalition blocked the project from moving forward.
Jay-Z’s joint bid to bring the first-ever casino to New York City’s busy Times Square has been denied.
On Sept. 17, an advisory committee voted 4-2 to reject the casino bid from SL Green Realty Corporation, Caesars Entertainment, Roc Nation, and Live Nation, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The group planned to transform the 54-story office building at 1515 Broadway, above the Minskoff Theatre, home to The Lion King, into a casino, along with a luxury Nobu hotel, restaurant, and entertainment spaces powered by Roc Nation.
Jay-Z recently expressed plans that the project aimed to complement the Broadway scene, not compete with it. However, the bidding group faced strong opposition from The Broadway League, the trade association for theater owners, producers, and general managers, who argued the casino would harm the Broadway industry and increase congestion in the area.
A coalition of partners campaigned against the casino by distributing Broadway playbills with a “Save Broadway” insert, warning that the project could lower theater attendance, raise crime, and threaten jobs in theaters, restaurants, and local businesses. They urged theatergoers to vote “no” on the casino proposal.
”This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it,” said Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League. “A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here.”
The rejected proposal wasn’t taken lightly, as Marc Holliday, CEO of SL Green, the project’s lead developer and property owner, criticized the decision.
“This was a despicable display of cowardice, a complete lack of consideration for all the people who would benefit from this,” he shouted as committee members silently left the room. “Go run and hide.”
Rev. Al Sharpton, a vocal supporter of the casino plan, condemned the vote, saying it worked to uphold the historically white control over Times Square’s entertainment scene.
“We will remember that in the community,” Sharpton told the all-white committee.
Sharpton was slated to lead a $15 million civil rights museum included in the proposal, which also pledged $20 million for Broadway tickets for underfunded families and $250 million to outside groups, over $80 million of which was earmarked for Times Square safety and security under a plan designed by former NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton.
The push to expand casinos in New York continues, with eight sites outside New York City vying for state licenses, all required to secure local board approval by the end of the month. In Manhattan, two casinos have been proposed: one on the West Side near the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and another on the East Side near the United Nations headquarters.
In the Bronx, a Bally’s casino is planned on a public golf course once operated by Donald Trump, potentially earning him $115 million if the license is approved. Additional proposals include a gambling hall along Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk in Brooklyn and a Hard Rock casino next to Citi Field in Queens.
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