Gambling companies have dreamed for decades of operating full-scale, Las Vegas-style casinos in New York City. Now, state authorities are on the brink of opening up the city, the country’s last major untapped gambling market, and a flurry of extravagant proposals are competing for a handful of coveted licenses.
Imagine roulette wheels perched above the women’s wear department at Saks Fifth Avenue. Blackjack by the boardwalk at Coney Island. Card games within spitting distance of the United Nations. Or maybe even a Caesars Entertainment casino steps from the lights of Broadway.
It is easy to understand why so many gambling companies are interested. Greater New York City is home to close to 23 million people and a destination for many millions more tourists each year. “For gambling companies, New York is their Mecca. It’s the last big prize in the United States,” my colleague Dana Rubinstein, who is covering the casino competition, told me. Read more from The New York Times.