NYC Parents Argue Kids Are Being Exploited as Tools in Casino Bidding War
Casino businesses are going to extreme measures to secure support from the community, even involving children, claim some parents.
A few parents in New York City accuse casino developers of manipulating their kids to gain favor during the competition for one of the three commercial gaming licenses in the state.
New York legalized seven commercial casinos in 2013, and the legislation included a 10-year moratorium on releasing the three downstate gambling permits. This was done to support the upstate casinos, giving them a decade to attract people from downstate and create a customer base.
Now that the 10-year ban is over, the New York Gaming Facility Location Board will be accepting applications for the sought-after downstate gaming concessions soon. With MGM Resort's Empire City in Yonkers and Genting's Resorts World New York City in Queens expected to win two of the licenses, the bidding war for the remaining one is fierce, with nearly a dozen bids currently being prepared.
Support for Youth Sports
Las Vegas Sands, the world's wealthiest gaming operator based on annual gross revenue, is planning a $4 billion casino proposal to transform the Nassau Coliseum complex on Long Island.
According to the New York Times, parents of kids participating in a soccer program in Nassau County were recently asked to bring their children to the Mitchell Athletic Complex in Uniondale for a chance to meet global soccer icons David Beckham and Carli Lloyd.
The event, however, was organized by the Sands Youth Empowerment Initiative, which provides support to youth sports in communities where Sands operates or plans to operate. The intention was not to promote the casino or its connection to the event.
Rich and Megan Corrao, whose children were present at the event, expressed their displeasure at discovering that a casino was behind the meet-and-greet.
"Don't use our kids as pawns in your quest to build something in our community that many people don't really want," Rich Corrao told the Times. "It's not suitable. It's not commendable. They're not selling bubble gum."
Another similar instance happened in Coney Island, where a group pushing for a $3 billion casino named "The Coney" handed out new uniforms and T-shirts to the participants of the youth basketball program wearing the casino's logo.
"They're using our children to advertise a casino," stated Lakeisha Bowers, preventing her 12-year-old son from wearing the "The Coney" shirt.
Casino Supporters Defend Actions
A spokesperson for Las Vegas Sands, Ron Reese, argued that the casino company is not only about gambling and actively supports the communities where it operates or intends to.
"We'll keep investing in youth organizations because they're vital components of the communities in which we operate," said Reese.
A representative from Brooklyn USA Basketball explained that they could provide uniforms to every child in the program this year for the first time since 2011, thanks to financial support from "The Coney." They also pointed out that none of the uniforms or T-shirts feature any mention of gambling or a casino.
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Source: www.casino.org
