The real estate roulette wheel is spinning – and it’s at least possible that the ball will settle on a multi-billion-dollar Long Island resort and casino.
The Las Vegas Sands is seeking to build a $6 billion integrated resort and casino in Uniondale if it is awarded one of three downstate gaming licenses from the state. It is the only bid on Long Island.
Nevada-based Las Vegas Sands has proposed building an integrated resort in Uniondale that would include high-end amenities like a Canyon Ranch spa and celebrity-chef restaurants affiliated with brands like Rao’s, Jean-Georges, and Estiatorio Milos, as well as Poll Restaurants (Bryant & Cooper Steakhouse, Majors Steakhouse, Cipollini Trattoria & Bar).
The property would also include boutique shops, two luxury hotels, a live entertainment venue, a conference center, and open space, in addition to a casino taking up less than 10% of the footprint.
But before the casino can move forward, it must be selected in a bidding process that spans much of the region.
According to Global Gaming Business Magazine, 11 proposals for casinos are in the New York City metropolitan area, including for New York City and Yonkers.
Caesars Entertainment, MGM Resorts, Wynn Resorts and Bally’s Corporation are all in the running.
Up to two licenses could be granted to existing racinos, including Empire City in Yonkers and Resorts World New York City in Queens. Proposals require a minimum investment of $500 million and a $500 million license fee.
The Sands of time
The Sands and its coalition of supporting residents and organizations point out this project would be a win for Long Island, generating jobs, as well as taxes and tourism. Nassau County approved a 42-year lease with the Sands for the 72-acre property including the Nassau County Coliseum.
The Sands says it would generate at least $1 billion in payments over ten years for Nassau and Suffolk counties, the Town of Hempstead, police and community service organizations. The project would generate at least roughly $3.5 billion in such payments in its first 30 years, according to the developers.
“Our proposed project is designed to produce tens of millions of dollars in tax revenue for the local community on an annual basis, potentially offering property tax relief for residents,” said Sands Las Vegas CEO Robert Goldstein, adding procurement would benefit local businesses.
Tracey Edwards, a lifelong Long Islander and corporate social responsibility officer at Sands, also praised the project.
“This project isn’t just about building a world-class destination; it’s about building a stronger, more inclusive economy,” she said. “We are committed to ensuring that local businesses, particularly those owned by women, minorities, and veterans, have a significant role in bringing this vision to life.”
She said they also would work with Nassau Community College and Long Island University to “ensure that our most promising young professionals stay on Long Island and have career tracks that they can grow and thrive in.”
According to its website, Sands New York intends to procure $300 million to $500 million in goods and services per year, with 75% sourced locally.
These services include everything from laundry and landscaping to event planning and legal services, as well as goods like cookies, flowers, bed linens, and more. The Sands has hosted multiple procurement events, which attracted over 1,200 people from the Long Island business community.
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who negotiated the terms of the project, called the location selected by the Sands at the Nassau Coliseum the “best site in New York State for a new casino.”
“I think it would be a tremendous economic boost,” Blakeman said at the Long Island Association’s recent State of the Region event. “And I am very hopeful that we will be the winning bid. I believe that it will be the highest-grossing casino in the United States.”
Both sides now
While supporters show up at meetings with green “Yes to Sands” signs, some have been critical of the plan which has been adopted.
Hofstra University filed a lawsuit in 2023, which was overturned by the New York State Court of Appeals in 2024. The Village of Garden City filed a lawsuit following a 5-4 vote by the village’s board of trustees, with Garden City Mayor Mary Carter Flanagan casting the deciding vote to spend $150,000 in legal fees to try to stop the Sands from moving forward.
According to an email from the Sands, however, Long Islanders turned in over 1,000 letters of support during the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement, which just closed in January 2025.
Farmingdale-based Citizens Campaign for the Environment Executive Director Adrienne Esposito reportedly called the Sands’ documentation “comprehensive.”
The Sands provided a 28,000-page Draft Environmental Impact Statement, including studies of impact on traffic, water, electricity, noise and air pollution, public health, and a wide range of other concerns.
Esposito, who sits on the Sands environmental work group, has advocated for the Sands to work with the U.S. Geological Survey regarding water use and said she supports stronger controls and monitoring of solid waste.
“If it is approved and built, would there be an advisory board that looks at the metrics to see how they’re doing on energy, water, and solid waste management?” she reportedly said at a meeting.
Esposito has also said, “Sands sustainability practices include energy efficiency, the use of renewable energy, water conservation and eliminating unnecessary single-use plastics and packaging waste.”
The Sands’ plan includes $150 million in infrastructure and other improvements, such as adding a lane on each side of the Meadowbrook Parkway.
Meanwhile, $20 million would be spent to build a new water well to supply the resort and neighboring homes and businesses. A local electric substation would be expanded and beautification projects would be funded.
Terri Elkowitz, principal at Hauppauge-based engineering firm VHB, which did the study,
said Sands management has been flexible and supported numerous recommendations. “Whenever a potential impact was identified, the company consistently demonstrated its commitment to mitigate these issues,” Elkowitz said.
Sands’ spokesman Michael Levoff said the company supports a “transparent review” and has been working hard to satisfy any and all concerns.
“Job creation, sustainable development, and meaningful investments in historically underserved communities can all be delivered as we work to bring the Sands New York project to life,” Levoff said in a written statement.
The case for the casino
Supporters see the Sands as a positive development, generating tax revenues and creating a new, desirable destination including a conference center, performance venue and other amenities.
Former Gov. David Paterson, a Las Vegas Sands senior vice president, said casinos licensed upstate have had trouble attracting customers.
“There isn’t a significant enough population of the state to sustain them,” Paterson said.
He said he believes population centers provide a good setting for casinos and resorts.
“Our bid is for Long Island,” Paterson said. “We want to do it at the Nassau Coliseum and we want to use it to motivate job opportunities.”
Paterson sees the Sands as bringing revenue and one of the world’s premier gaming operators to the region.
New York State began embracing casinos with the 2013 Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act, which allowed four resort-scale commercial casinos upstate.
The Downstate market, including Long Island, includes Jake’s 58, which provides slot machines. Due to extensive costs and limiting applications, the Sands facility is the only project proposed for Long Island.
“We’ll find out who wins,” said Paterson. “But we have a great opportunity to help people who live here while creating a world-class destination for the entire region.”
Read more: Village of Garden City sues to block $5 billion Sands Resort and Casino
