Letter to NYS Gaming Commission

New York State Gaming Commission

One Broadway Center

Schenectady, New York. 12301-7500

As residents of Nassau County, we are writing to express our deepest concerns about the proposed casino at the Nassau Coliseum.  It will lead to increased traffic, air and water pollution, strains on Long Island’s drinking water, higher rates of crime and gambling addiction, and lower property values, all of which compounded year after year, will have very significant negative impacts on Nassau County’s people, infrastructure, natural resources, and economy. None of these impacts have been fully acknowledged or addressed:

• Impact on students: Las Vegas Sands has applied for a colossal casino, the size of seven football fields.  Aside from Hofstra University and Nassau Community College, there are preschool, primary and secondary schools in the immediate area, approximately 60,000 students within a 6-mile radius.

• Traffic impacts: Many of the roads in the vicinity are already at peak capacity, especially during certain hours of the day. LVS is projecting 25,000+ gamblers and employees daily to travel to the site, situated in a densely populated community without mass transit.
   

• Increased crime: Gambling addicts frequently turn to crime to support their addiction. Studies show they are seven times more likely to be arrested than non-gamblers. Overall, crime rates in suburban communities hosting casinos increase by 9%.

• Air pollution: The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has identified Uniondale and Hempstead as communities disadvantaged by air pollution. A casino along with the resultant increase in traffic and car emissions would result in deterioration of air quality in these communities representing environmental racism.

• Drinking water:  Long Island’s sole source aquifers must be conserved and protected. LVS plans to pull 875,000 gallons per day from our aquifer.

• Depressed property values: According to the National Association of Realtors, “The impact of casinos on local property values is unambiguously negative. (Casinos) act as parasites upon them. Unsurprisingly, such communities also suffer higher rates of home foreclosure and other forms of economic distress and domestic violence.” The value of homes near a new casino often drops by 2-10%.
   

• Shadows, streetscapes, views and light pollution: Two new hotel towers will be 26 stories tall - twice as tall as the adjacent Marriott, disturbing the site line for miles. 9-story parking garages will tower over the recently built $180 million MSK Cancer Care facility.
   

• Sewage/air quality/energy use: At almost 4 million sq ft, running 24/7, with 12,450 parking spaces in three multi-level garages, this structure will strain the County’s energy resources, and place inordinate demands on sewage infrastructure. 
   

• Gambling losses and local economic impact: LVS projects annual gambling losses by patrons to exceed $2 billion/year, or $5.5 million per day. How much of that $2 billion will come from Long Islanders who will be losing discretionary dollars that will no longer be spent in Long Island downtowns and restaurants? 
   

• Gambling addiction and social/community impacts: A casino within 10 miles of home has a significant effect on problem gambling and is associated with a 90 percent increase in the odds of being a pathological or problem gambler. Among severe problem gamblers, approximately 1 out of 5 report they’ve attempted suicide in the past year.  

We strongly urge the New York State Gaming Commission not to award a casino to Las Vegas Sands at the Nassau Coliseum – it is simply the wrong place for casino.
 

Sincerely,