At one end of Las Vegas Sands' proposed $4 billion casino resort is Nassau Community College, the county's 2-year institution that has signed on as its primary employee training center.
At the other end is Hofstra University, a private college that sued the county over alleged meetings violations weeks before Sands was granted control of the Nassau Coliseum site. Sands' plans are testing the colleges within walking distance, highlighting a growing debate over whether pursuing a career on Long Island requires workforce training or a liberal arts degree, whether a casino should be near campuses or if the economic opportunities associated with them have too much potential to pass up.
The Nevada-based company's proposal is still years away from becoming reality because Sands needs approval for zoning changes and its review of the environmental impact. Community and state site selection panels need to sign off, and the plan requires one of three downstate gaming licenses expected to be awarded by the state in 2024 or 2025.
Las Vegas Sands' proposed $4 billion casino resort at the Nassau Coliseum site is within walking distance of both Hofstra University and Nassau Community College.
Sands executives estimate 8,500 full- and part-time jobs in more than 150 categories in their "integrated resort" of a Vegas-style casino, luxury hotel, high-end retail, celebrity-chef restaurants, a live performance venue, convention and event space, and day spa.
New York State, which has the final decision on who wins gaming licenses, has placed no restrictions on a casino's proximity to schools.
Hofstra opposition
“Nassau County should not situate a gambling center in a location brimming with young people who are especially predisposed to such risky behavior," Hofstra's president has said a casino should not be so close to students and has encouraged other types of development at the site.
On the other side of the coin the students say : I don’t really see the casino as an issue because I believe the age to go in is 21, right? If you’re 21, legally you’re an adult. You can say, ‘This is right, that’s wrong,”
Opposition is building elsewhere against casinos, however. Brooklyn’s Community Board 13 recently approved a non-binding resolution against locating a casino along the Coney Island Island boardwalk. Many Manhattanites also don’t want a casino in or around their neighborhoods.
