The proposed 'Caesars Palace Times Square' is a project backed by Jay-Z and is vying for one of three New York City-area casino licenses that the state will dole out.
Just a few weeks after Jay-Z made a pitch on behalf of Roc Nation to open a casino in Times Square, residents came out to voice their opinions during a public hearing in Midtown.
The proposal is facing fierce opposition from the Broadway community.
16 Broadway theaters lit up their marquees with "No Times Square Casino" displays to show their opposition to the controversial casino.
The protest held by the No Times Square Casino Coalition happened ahead of a public hearing attended by celebrities and residents.
Those who oppose the casino say this could cause an even larger gambling problem among New Yorkers, as well as the argument that we shouldn't "sell out Broadway to the highest bidder."
"We believe this is the wrong location for a casino. Times Square is home to Broadway, something that makes New York City what it is and has been there for hundreds of years," one resident said.
Those in favor say this will help with post-pandemic economic growth.
"I support it due to my experience having a theater show in Las Vegas for 25 years. When a casino partners with theatrical productions and restaurants, a rising tide carries all ships," a resident said.
Both Charlamagne tha God and rapper Fat Joe spoke at the hearing in favor of the proposal and vouched for Jay-Z and Roc Nation's work in the community.
The podcaster known as Charlemagne the god made his pitch for the project.
"If you know anything about me, then you know one of my passions is to make sure our communities are mentally healthy and the Roc Nation, SL Green coalition has committed the outreach for mental services," he said.
Many don't trust the pledge of community commitment and worry about what a casino will do to the great white way.
"71% of the residents of the neighborhood don't want this casino. Broadway doesn't want this casino. And we just want to make sure that our position is heard, to make sure that the people at the CAC can hear from us about it," a nearby business owner said.
The casino complex will go where the Lion King runs.
"The entire community is going to benefit. So we proudly support the Times Square Casino," a resident said.
The hearing on Wednesday is one of two set to happen before a 6-person Community Advisory Committee votes. 4 'yes' votes will be needed to clear the way for a later vote by a state panel.
8 proposals are being pitched for New York City, Caesar Palace Times Square is one of two proposals for Manhattan.
The state will ultimately only award 3 licenses.
SL Green is the developer for the Caesars project and has Jay Z's Roc Nation as a partner.
The developer says the casino complex would bring in $7 billion in taxes for the city and state in the next ten years and put nearly $27 billion into the local economy plus and create thousands of jobs.
"It will drive people to independent restaurants through a Caesar's reward program, providing a much-needed boost for our economy," a resident said.
Plenty of construction workers praised the plan, but many in the theater industry worry that the casino will cannibalize Broadway.
"Theater is the economic engine of this city, and putting this engine at risk is reckless. If you want to gamble in the theater district, produce a play," a resident said.
"Today's turnout was a powerful demonstration of how much people care about this neighborhood's future, and we were grateful for the overwhelming support for our project from a diverse group of community stakeholders. There's still plenty of work ahead, but the energy and enthusiasm we saw today makes us even more confident in our ability to deliver the benefits this community deserves," Brett Herschenfeld, Executive Vice President of SL Green said in a statement.
* Get Eyewitness News Delivered
* Follow us on YouTube
* More local news
* Send us a news tip
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts