Community Magazine November 2012

A gambling casino in Coney Island will undoubtedly make money – lots of it – for the developers and insiders who will cut those deals. Those insiders may also claim that the project will also benefit the entire community, by creating jobs and business growth as the casino attracts tourists to the area. But as any gambler knows all too well, when it comes to casinos, the house always wins, and everyone else loses. Promised jobs rarely materialize, and even when they do, they are mostly part time or temporary and minimum wage. As for “economic development,” anyone who has ever been brave enough to walk the streets Atlantic City can attest that this highly touted benefit generally applies only to the casinos. Within literally one block of even the most successful casino in Atlantic City, the only businesses that seem to thrive are pawn shops and criminal When the New York State Legislature approved a constitutional amendment last March that would authorize up to seven new full-scale gambling casinos in the state, one of the first locations floated for the multi-billion initiative was Brooklyn's historic Coney Island. Though the amendment must still be passed by lawmakers again next year or in 2014, and then by voters in a statewide referendum, area residents and business owners are worried that the decision to spoil the historic Coney Island neighborhood with a massive gaming house - along with all of the undesirable elements it brings - will be made in Albany, without local input or approval. V G ICE Why local communities are united against opening a casino in Brooklyn's backyard G AMBLING V C RIME C V G V C Coney Island Casino Commotion 36 Community magazine