Nassau County police say Hofstra colluded with Queens casino bidder
Hofstra University has emerged as a major opponent of Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s opening of a casino hotel in Nassau County, New York, and the university may be working with representatives from Hard Rock International to support the operator's push for a Queens casino. of bidding.
Florida's Seminole Tribe bookmaker Hard Rock is working with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen to secure one of three downstate gambling licenses expected to be issued by New York regulators this year. one. Hard Rock and Cohen wanted to build a casino resort across from Citi Field, a proposal that met with much opposition and was considered controversial.
That's not certain yet, but there are some signs that Hard Rock may be working with Hofstra in some capacity.Newsday recently received an email from Hard Rock lobbyist Michael McKeon, which was forwarded to Hard Rock Vice President of Business Development Sean Caffery and Point 72 Chief of Staff Michael Sullivan. Point 72 is Cohen's family office investment vehicle.
The message mentions Sands' plans to conduct an environmental review of the Town of Hempstead—an effort Hofstra opposes.
I may not have forwarded this to you on Wednesday, but it speaks volumes about Sands' efforts to control the site," McKeon's email read."I am checking with Hofstra to see if See if they will object to the move. "
Newsday reported that it was unclear whether McKean contacted Hofstra officials. However, he has ties to the university, including with board member Peter Kalikow. Both worked for former New York Governor George Pataki, a Republican. A spokesman told Newsday that Kalikov has no contact with McKean.
Hofstra conspiracy charges unclear
While it's unclear whether Hard Rock and Hofstra are working together, the other two points are not in dispute. First, Hofstra did not want to locate on Long Island. Second, competition for New York's three casino licenses is fierce and could create some Hollywood-style scenarios.
As for Hofstra University, it sued Nassau County last April, claiming the county's plan to transfer the Nassau Coliseum lease to Sands violated the state open meetings law. The transfer was terminated after a series of court rulings. Sands, however, wants to move forward with an environmental review.
In an interesting twist of fate, anti-casino groups are calling on Hempstead to "not move forward," with two public comment meetings scheduled for Thursday. It's unclear what role, if any, Hofstra plays in this.
Blackman used the “C” word
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican who has long supported Sands' efforts to convert the arena into a casino-hotel, has not hesitated to criticize the possible relationship between Hard Rock and Hofstra.
We discovered that Hofstra University and one of Las Vegas Sands' competitors were working in coordination, some might even call it collusion," Blackman said at a news conference Wednesday. “Your license applicant should not cooperate or coordinate with any other company to oppose another’s application. "
Nassau County Legislative Officers Chairman Howard Koppel said he signed several subpoenas from Hofstra County Chairman Susan Poser. He is seeking testimony and documents related to the college's possible contacts with Hard Rock.
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Source: www.casino.org
