Caesars Palace Times Square, the bid from SL Green, Caesars Entertainment, and Roc Nation to bring a casino to 1515 Broadway in Times Square, announced today a $5 million commitment to support the Callen-Lorde Community Health Center if the bid is accepted for one of three downstate New York gaming licenses being considered.
The financial pledge would be divided into a $2 million commitment to support Callen-Lorde’s existing services in Chelsea and a $3 million commitment to Callen-Lorde Community Health Center for a new Center for Excellence in Sexual Health. The Hell’s Kitchen center would be designed to expand access to rapid, high-quality HIV and STI care.
The pledge is the latest stakes-raising development in the controversial proposal for a casino in the heart of the city’s Broadway theater district. Caesars Palace Times Square would be located at 1515 Broadway, sharing the building with current and longtime tenant Minskoff Theatre, home of The Lion King.
The issue has divided much of the Broadway and Times Square communities, with the Broadway League, TDF, The Shubert Organization, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights Aids, various theater-related unions, block associations and iconic restaurants such as Sardi’s and Joe Allen opposed to a theater-district casino. Increased traffic, congestion and economic disruption are among the reasons for the opposition.
Supporting the Caesars Palace proposal are what the bidder says are more than 200 organizations and businesses including local restaurants, hotels, residents, unions and Broadway stakeholders. Actors Equity Association, unlike other unions, has come out in favor the casino, which the actors and stagehands union says will bring jobs and safety to the area. The casino will be designed with what the bidder calls a limited number of restaurants and hotel rooms “to create excess demand for dozens of existing establishments in neighboring communities.”
With today’s news, the supporters gained another prominent ally. Callen-Lorde has been a leader in the city’s LGBTQ+ health care community for more than 55 years, serving over 23,000 patients across New York City.
“The team behind Caesars Palace Times Square has taken a real and genuine interest in the health and wellbeing of the Hell’s Kitchen community,” said Patrick McGovern, Chief Executive Officer of Callen-Lorde, in a statement. “With this funding, Callen-Lorde’s express clinic model will offer rapid, same-day test results [for sexually transmitted infections] and immediate treatment through an in-house retail pharmacy, reducing the typical 72-hour turnaround to just one hour.”
The 20,000-square-foot Hell’s Kitchen facility, McGovern continues, would include “check-in kiosks, self-swab stations, exam rooms, and on-site lab equipment capable of delivering rapid STI results for over 15 patients at a time per machine. This high-volume, tech-enabled model is designed for efficiency, confidentiality, and inclusivity—ensuring that those most impacted by HIV and STIs can access innovative, potentially life-saving care.”
“At SL Green, we believe that vibrant neighborhoods are built on strong institutions, and Callen-Lorde is exactly that,” said Brett Herschenfeld, Senior Vice President at SL Green, in a statement. “We are proud to support the expansion of their critical services in Hell’s Kitchen, where this state-of-the-art facility will dramatically improve access to rapid testing and treatment for New Yorkers most at risk. This is the kind of community-centered innovation our city needs.”
In addition to this new healthcare partnership, Caesars Palace Times Square has committed to new public safety resources, enhanced sanitation, and a tree-planting program.
New York State’s Gaming Facility Location Board’s is reviewing application requests for new casinos in the city. Potential casino operators have proposed locations throughout the city’s boroughs, including a sites in Queens, the Bronx and Lower Manhattan. Two contenders recently withdrew their bids, including a Hudson Yards Wynn Resorts and Las Vegas Sands in Queens.
Bids were submitted in 2023 after state lawmakers approved the opening of three downstate New York casinos. The state is expected to award the three licenses by the end of 2025.
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