New York: Coney Island casino proponents unveil project renderings, new details

Bidders looking to bring a casino to New York's Coney Island released their vision for the gambling hub on Friday, featuring a towering glass building overlooking the amusement park in the heart of the waterfront community. 

Dubbed “The Coney”, the structure would feature the first legal gambling facility in the Five Boroughs, along with a new hotel just steps from the iconic Coney Island Boardwalk.

A short walk before the Cyclone and the Wonder Wheel, the building would immediately transform the Coney Island skyline with its imposing structure, which includes a multi-colored rooftop and heavily-illuminated surroundings on the ground. 

The consortium also released an image of the casino’s black-and-white logo: “The Coney Casino Resort & Resort Entertainment District. Brooklyn.” The gaming facility both spruces up and seamlessly blends in with the existing Coney Island boardwalk.

The casino will have a Las Vegas-like entertainment hall where visitors can see top entertainers perform and a nearby convention hall would provide space for events for businesses in southern Brooklyn, which currently lacks a large venue.

The renderings of the proposed development were released by a consortium that includes developer Thor Equities, gaming operators Saratoga Casino Holdings and The Chickasaw Nation and Legends, the sports and entertainment firm co-owned by the Yankees. The businesses combined to seek out one of the three to-be-awarded licenses to operate a casino in downstate New York. 

Two of those three licenses are expected to be awarded to locations surrounding race tracks outside of the Big Apple. Several business consortiums are vying against one another for one spot in the city limits. 

“The Coney” is just one of several proposals, including others located in Time Square, the Trump Organization’s golf course in the Bronx, and the area surrounding Citi Field in Queens. 

Trump Organization’s golf course in the Bronx, one of the proposed sites

If approved, the team behind The Coney says the project would bring jobs and year-round economic growth to the People’s Playground, according to former Brooklyn Council Member Robert Cornegy Jr., who is working as an advisor on the project. 

“I get to push passion where my mouth is and do something epic by bringing economic stability to Coney Island. This is one of those projects that I am proud to be on because it takes a seasonal community and turns it into a year-round economic development,” Cornegy told Brooklyn Paper.

Gamblers at the proposed casino would have access to all the same options as a visitor to Las Vegas, including slot machines and poker tables. It would also give the area space for meetings and conferences. “We have such a vibrant group of locally-owned businesses that have been calling out for a year-round economic driver,” Cornegy said. 

The bidders for various Downstate casino locations are currently seeking approval from the Community Advisory Committee, which is evaluating the proposals.