The casino industry's quest to bring gambling to Manhattan faces a key test this week when an advisory panel weighs a Times Square proposal that has enraged much of Broadway.

Backers of the venture, including the rap musician and entrepreneur Jay-Z, have characterized the proposed $5.4 billion Caesars Entertainment gaming and hospitality venture a boon to New York, bringing an infusion of customers to a theater district whose restaurants and small businesses suffered during the pandemic.

But opponents of the site, led by the Broadway League and some neighborhood groups, are battling a project they see as cutting into theater ticket sales and attracting unsavory characters to New York's theater mecca.

The two sides squared off last week at a rowdy public hearing, where Broadway League President Jason Laks was cheered by a sea of theater union workers in red "Vote No" t-shirts as he made his case.

"We represent 100,000 New Yorkers who work in our industry," said Laks, who has described the casino as an "existential" threat. "Please protect Broadway and its workers and vote down this casino."

But gaming giant........

© International Business Times