Recently, Nas' $5 billion plan to transform Resorts World New York City into a full-scale casino was finally approved. Per a press release, the casino floor will be expanded to an impressive 350K square feet. It will also feature “3,000 Units of Workforce House, more than 50 acres of new and dedicated park space, and new transit connections to JFK and Manhattan."
“This is an ambitious project that will give new opportunities to the hard-working families who call Queens home, attract top-tier talent, and build up the next generation of leaders," Nas said of the project. "Clearly, with this project, the world is ours."
The plan was approved in a unanimous vote. One committee member even took to opportunity to throw some shade at the rapper's former foe. “Sorry Jay-Z, we win again," they said following the vote, as seen in a clip shared by DJ Akademiks. "I just had to rub that in.”
Jay-Z Casino Bid
Nas' win also comes after Jay-Z's bid for a Times Square casino was shot down by a community advisory committee. “This was a vote to protect the magic of Broadway for the one hundred thousand New Yorkers who depend on it for their livelihoods, and for the tens of millions who come from around the world to experience it," Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, said of the vote.
"A casino can go anywhere, but Broadway only lives here," he added. "We are so filled with gratitude for the committee members and the local elected officials—State Senator Liz Krueger, Assembly Member Tony Simone, Borough President Mark Levine and Council Member Erik Bottcher—who looked at the facts, listened to the residents and stood up for this neighborhood and the theater community.”
As for Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez, she made her disappointment known. “Thank you to Governor Hochul and Mayor Adams for standing up for NYC," she stated. "Unfortunately, not every politician has the courage and foresight to do what’s right for their constituents.”
