Broadway Theaters Urge New Yorkers to Oppose Times Square Casino Plan

^{Pictured: Posters reading “No Casino in Times Square” and Playbill leaflets}

Broadway’s theater industry in New York has intensified its fight against plans to open a Caesars casino in Times Square. According to the New York Post, readers of the iconic Playbill magazine discovered flyers tucked into their copies urging opposition to the proposed gambling venue.

The campaign was initiated by theater owners united under the Broadway League.

The flyers claim that opening a casino would threaten theater attendance, cut jobs, harm local restaurants, and contribute to rising crime.

The project’s future now depends on a local advisory committee made up of politicians and community leaders. By the end of September, the committee must vote on whether to allow Caesars to move forward with its Times Square casino project. To encourage opposition, the flyers include QR codes linking to messages of protest addressed to committee members.

Caesars Times Square casino project

“Don’t let politicians sell the heart of New York to the highest bidder. A casino can operate anywhere. Broadway can only exist on Broadway,” the leaflet reads.

Caesars, meanwhile, argues that the Broadway League is fueling panic and distorting facts: “This is nothing more than fearmongering. Our plan is supported by Broadway actors and musicians, including the Actors’ Equity Association and Musicians Local 802, as well as hundreds of local organizations.”

The casino operator insists the project would instead enhance Times Square and Broadway, boosting foot traffic and drawing more visitors to the theaters.

The Caesars project is backed by rapper Jay-Z and his company Roc Nation in partnership with real estate investment trust SL Green. The casino is slated to occupy eight floors inside SL Green’s 54-story tower at 1515 Broadway.

As reported earlier by Gambling Park, Jay-Z had already addressed New Yorkers in an open letter urging them to support the Times Square casino plan.