Last year, SL Green and Caesars Entertainment announced that Jay-Z and his Roc Nation entity were joining them in opening a new, state-of-the-art gaming facility at 1515 Broadway in Times Square. Now, Roc Nation has taken to the media to pen an open letter addressing “conflicted parties” attempting to “spread misinformation” about their plans regarding the casino.
According to Complex, Roc Nation took out full-page ads in publications like The New York Post, The New York Daily News, and The Amsterdam News on Thursday to detail the company’s plans for a casino in the heart of New York City.
The open letter is also available on Roc Nation’s Twitter account.
“A gaming license is going to be awarded to New York City. A bill was passed in the state legislature confirming it. The question is: which applicant will get the license? Some conflicted parties have attempted to spread misinformation, so we wanted to speak to you, New York City, directly.”
The trio of independent companies believes the facility, which will be named Caesars Palace Times Square, will generate seven million new visitors to Times Square. With the debut of the casino, native New Yorkers and tourists alike will bring billions in economic benefit to Broadway and area businesses.
“Caesars Palace Times Square will benefit all of New York—the hotel and restaurant workers in the area, retailers, and surrounding neighborhoods. Our bid commits $115 million for diverse theater programs that include daycare for Broadway workers and their families.”
Roc Nation feels the casino would be great for business in the immediate and surrounding areas. But, according to
Deadline, the trade organization representing theater owners and producers, The Broadway League, opposes the plan.The Broadway League argued a casino would not bring in people from out of town but that casinos, by design, are made to keep customers inside their facility, which wouldn’t benefit businesses in the Times Square vicinity.