Jay-Z’s Times Square Casino Dream Hits a Wall
Written by b87fm on 09/17/2025
Jay-Z’s high-stakes plan to drop a Caesars Palace casino in the middle of Times Square just got dealt a crushing blow. The hip hop legend—through Roc Nation—teamed up with SL Green Realty, Caesars Entertainment, and Live Nation to push a billion-dollar vision that promised glitz, jobs, and cultural buzz. But on September 17th, a community advisory committee voted to shut it down before it could even move forward.
For Hov, the project was more than a gamble—it was about legacy. Speaking to City & State New York before the decision, Jay made his case plain:
“New York City is the entertainment capital of the world. I’ve always looked at opportunities that can shift culture while uplifting communities, and Caesars Palace Times Square is exactly that.”
He argued the casino would sit alongside Broadway, not bulldoze it, calling the project a complement to the city’s most famous block.
Casino has been REJECTED 4-2
SL Green CEO Marc Holliday just approached the CAC members after the vote to harangue them: “What you did here today was despicable.” https://t.co/WvFCbhSkan pic.twitter.com/xl8nfOAJuP
— Nick Garber (@nick_garber) September 17, 2025
But Broadway’s power players weren’t buying it. Jason Laks, president of the Broadway League, cheered the vote as a win for theater workers and audiences alike. “A casino can go anywhere,” he said. “But Broadway only lives here.” His message? Times Square doesn’t need dice when it already has drama.
Not everyone kept it classy. SL Green CEO Marc Holliday blasted the committee’s decision as “despicable,” lashing out directly at members after the vote, according to reporter Nick Garber.
The rejection leaves Jay-Z’s casino vision in limbo. What was pitched as a culture-shifting project is now tangled in a clash between two giants of New York nightlife: Broadway’s old-world glamour and hip hop’s forward-looking ambition. For now, the city has made its choice—and Times Square remains a stage, not a casino floor.
