Eight competitors submitted bids to the New York State Gaming Commission for one of three available downstate casino licenses on Thursday, June 26.
The competing proposals included two located in Queens, one in Brooklyn, three in Manhattan, one in The Bronx and one in Yonkers.
But none from Nassau County.
Nassau officials had announced in April 2023 an agreement with the Las Vegas Sands to build a $4 billion casino complex at the 72-acre site of the Coliseum in an area in the heart of the county known as the HUB
Las Vegas Sands proposed transforming the Nassau Coliseum grounds into a full-scale integrated resort that would include a massive casino, luxury hotel accommodation, a convention center, a concert venue, a retail/dining district, and large publicly accessible outdoor spaces.
As part of the deal, the Las Vegas Sands signed a 42‑year lease with the county for the Nassau Coliseum and its surrounding site. Under this agreement, Sands gained operational control of the Coliseum and exclusive rights to develop the property, contingent on securing a state casino license
But in April 2025, following an extensive public campaign to support its applications that included the help of former Gov. David Paterson, Las Vegas Sands said it would no longer seek the casino.
The company cited concerns with the potential legalization of online gambling and the impact this would have on the gambling market.
The Sands said it was negotiating with a third party to submit a casino license bid for the Nassau Coliseum, a move backed by county officials.
But no deal was ever reached.
This was no surprise given the reservations about a downstate casino cited by a company known for developing casinos across the world and the short time frame for any third party to apply to the state for a license.
So, where does that leave the Nassau Coliseum and the HUB, among the last major underdeveloped parcels in Hempstead and a key opportunity for economic stimulation and job creation?
Sands Las Vegas is contractually required to keep the Coliseum open for at least two years after taking over operations
The company said that if a third-party agreement could not be reached, it would work with Nassau County and others to “ensure it is developed consistent with Nassau County’s long-term vision for the site.”
The Town of Hempstead Zoning Board approved a rezoning for the Coliseum site—now dubbed the “Mitchel Field Integrated Resort District” on June 10, more than two years after the agreement with the Las Vegas Sands was announced.
Why it took this long is a good question that may explain why projects such as those presented by the Las Vegas Sands have not happened for more than 20 years.
But it does open the door for another developer to come in by removing an obstacle to development.
In 2004, then-Long Islanders owner Charles Wang proposed developing a renovated Nassau Coliseum that would anchor a mixed-use complex: residential towers, retail, restaurants, a sports/athletic center, a minor-league baseball stadium, a conference center, and Long Island’s first five-star hotel.
The county approved the plan, but the Town of Hempstead refused zoning changes, citing concerns over traffic and overdevelopment. A 2011 referendum for public financing also failed seven years after the plan was announced.
After the plan’s defeat, Wang took the beloved Islanders to Brooklyn.
Hempstead’s new zoning converts the site from its prior mixed-use designation to an Integrated Resort District, permitting a broad range of uses, including gaming facilities such as a casino. We say good luck with that.
Also included are hotels up to 280 ft. high, restaurants, retail, convention space, cultural and community facilities such as performance venues, supermarkets, spas, hospitals and senior care and public open space and plazas.
This is headway, but is it too late?
Most of the eight applicants for a downstate casino license also offer hotel accommodations and entertainment venues. If their bids succeed, they will also offer a casino. This includes groups headed by Mets owner Steve Cohen and Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment at nearby Citifield in Queens. A potential HUB developer is sure to consider that type of competition in deciding whether to move forward.
Not included in Hempstead’s new zoning is workforce and middle-income housing in a county that is part of a region experiencing a large housing shortage. This is counterproductive.
Where exactly do officials think people who work at a fully developed HUB would live? Business advocates already say the lack of housing in the county is hurting economic development.
The construction of a hospital is also in question. In May 2023, Nassau County and NYU Langone entered into highly touted preliminary negotiations to establish a major medical center on approximately 40–45 acres of land at Nassau Community College in Garden City, which is part of the HUB.
NYU Langone intended to establish a state‑of‑the‑art academic medical center, including a teaching hospital, medical education facilities, and research labs.
But in April, around the time Las Vegas Sands was withdrawing its casino bid, NYU Langone and the county announced that they had mutually agreed to pause negotiations. They said this was due to a combination of technical, regulatory, cost, and timing challenges.
OK. But given the county’s history of setbacks on the site, one would think that the county, with all that Nassau has to offer, would want to know why it continues to be left at the altar when it comes to the development of the HUB.
We hope Nassau comes up with an answer. Just don’t bet on it.
