Coney Island Wonder Wheel Owner Opposes Casino, $200 Million Community Benefit
Posted on: March 31, 2025, 11:16h.
Last updated on: March 31, 2025, 12:10h.
- The owners of the iconic Wonder Wheel in Coney Island don’t want a casino
- A $3 billion casino resort has been proposed for the Brooklyn seaside city
- Coney Island needs an economic spark
The family that owns Coney Island’s famed Wonder Wheel doesn’t want a casino in the seaside town that has certainly seen better days and is in desperate need of an economic spark.
Despite the would-be casino developers pledging a $200 million community trust if granted one of the three downstate New York gaming licenses, a fund that would be used to provide grants for local organizations and public safety and community improvement initiatives, the owners of Deno’s Wonder Wheel and Phoenix Roller Coaster believes slot machines and table games shouldn’t be located in the family-friendly destination.
Casinos and amusements are not really a good mix. It’s oil and water,” Dennis Vourderis, whose family owns the amusement park, told CBS New York. “The Wonder wheel is the heart of Coney Island. To alter that skyline and to change that just puts a knife in my heart.”
The Wonder Wheel is a 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel that opened in May 1920. It was designated as an official New York City Landmark in May 1989.
Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings, the Chickasaw Nation, and Legends Hospitality have proposed a $3 billion integrated resort casino on five acres of land at Surf and Stillwell Avenues that Thor owns.
Entertainment Destination
The development group says its casino plan would be much more about entertainment and hospitality than gambling. Dubbed The Coney Casino & Resort Entertainment District, the plan is to construct a high-rise hotel and casino with a rooftop public park that would be accessible without entering the casino.
Along with thousands of good-paying jobs, The Coney backers say they would set aside funds to improve area infrastructure, including an express subway line connecting the Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue terminal with Lower Manhattan.
The Coney, the consortium contends, would make Coney Island a year-round destination instead of a summer weekend escape for Manhattanites. It would also bring 4,000 permanent gaming and hospitality jobs to the city where the median household income is just $45K and the poverty rate is 25%.
Still, many residents say the concerns about problem gambling, crime, and renters being forced out of their homes due to losing their housing subsidies because they’ll earn too much money working at The Coney or because of higher rents that would outweigh the possible benefits the developers are pitching.
Application Ongoing
In January, the full Brooklyn Community Board 13 voted against The Coney’s Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) application, a standardized part of city planning when developments impact the use of land. The outcome didn’t officially deny The Coney’s land-use application, but was a setback.
Earlier this month, The Coney gained a minor victory when Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso granted conditional approval of the land-use proposal. Reynoso says he used the opportunity to require The Coney to commit to additional public benefits like affordable housing, flood infrastructure upgrades, and Boardwalk repairs.
“We appreciate the Borough President’s careful review and conditional approval of our ULURP application. As we have said from the beginning, we are taking a community-first approach in developing this proposal and we look forward to continued discussions with the Borough President and his team on how we can continue to enhance our bid so that it best meets the needs of Coney Island and Brooklyn,” a statement from The Coney read.
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Last Comments ( 9 )
Despite what the billionaire casino developer and his business partners say, the casino in Coney Island will end up destroying more jobs than it creates. This is a crowded residential neighborhood, and nobody is going to want to live right next door to a massive 24-hour a day casino. Those who can afford to move away from the area will, and the dollars they spend in local stores will move with them, causing local businesses to lose customers, and many will lay off workers and close. This is exactly what happened in Atlantic City. People who could afford to move left, and many non-casino businesses closed. Today Atlantic City doesn’t even have its own supermarket. For every job the casino creates it will destroy many other jobs. The only people who are going to get rich from the casino are the billionaire casino developer and his business partners. Everyone else will lose.
"The Coney" Casino Promoters and Lobbyists making claims that they have "Community Support" is a Blatant LIE. Bussing in Paid "Supporter's" to Coney Island Community, Public Street De-Mapping Hearings from Miles away is NOT Coney Island Community "Support." I present to you the Paid, Bussed In, So Called "Community Support" from a Bensonhurst, Brooklyn Asian Community Senior Center located on 18th Avenue. Watch my video. None of the People in my video that were Bussed In, and being Bussed Back Live on Coney Island. This is a LIE! These folks don't live within 5 miles of Coney Island! https://photos.app.goo.gl/7am9REuUhdEo2uao9 EXPOSE the Lies!
Casinos should not be situated in close proximity to residential neighborhoods, particularly low-income communities. The well-being of children is of utmost importance, and the presence of casinos in such areas poses potential risks, including the risk of addiction among young individuals. Additionally, property taxes are likely to increase, potentially leading to the displacement of senior citizens who may be unable to afford their current property taxes. Furthermore, the proximity of casinos to residential areas may deter potential homebuyers, resulting in a decline in property values.
This is a horrible idea which will flood the neighborhood with cars and turn it into a construction site for the next 5 years. It will absolutely destroy the amusement businesses in the neighborhood and should never be built! No casino in Coney Island!!!
Although not a resident of the neighborhood, I overwhelmingly object to the potential construction of the “Coney” casino, and the accompanying de-mapping of public streets. All aspects of this proposal, including the street de-mapping; the proposed 40 and 20 story buildings; elimination of the historic Bowery; displacement of long-standing businesses; and the impact on the quality of life for the local residents make this project abhorrent. I am currently the Curator of the Coney Island Museum, one of the programs of Coney Island USA. We operate from a landmarked building, constructed in 1917, located on the corner of Surf Avenue and W. 12th Street. Our building would literally be swallowed by the construction, which would almost certainly lead to the end of our organization. For over 40 years, the Coney Island Museum has worked to preserve and interpret the unique history of the People’s Playground, illuminating its critical impact on American popular culture for visitors, scholars, and the local community. Yes, local residents need jobs, but the casino is nothing but a package of empty promises. Indeed, the developer pushing this proposal has allowed many of the historic properties he owns to deteriorate to the point where they were falling down; most are currently empty rat-infested lots that could easily be used for more appropriate year-round amusements that will provide jobs without inviting crime and addictions. Coney Island’s community and its rich cultural legacy deserve better than to be gambled away on the turn of a roulette wheel. I say “NO” to the casino.
The owner of Wonder Weel is not against “community fund”. This is pure manipulation and cannot be called a journalism. He as many others against building monstrosity in the middle of a residential neighborhood with traffic issues even without casino. Since 2023 developers are making promises including jobs and job training. No training was offered. Nothing except minimal donations and popcorn machine. Developers and their paid consultants do not leave in the area. We do and there are many ways to bring economic prosperity to our community but casino has nothing to do with it. Read developers own Environmental Impact Statement. And learn what this monster is bringing to communities of Coney Island. Developers do nothing but exploit low income communities for a profit of developers! No casino!
Coney Island is without a doubt the WORST place to put a casino for the following reasons: 1. People live here. We don't want traffic, noise, crime, addiction and all the awful things associated with a casino. 2. Congestion. There's 1 street in. This area is a peninsula. Residents are already unable to come and go on crowded days. Adding the volume of vehicles that the casino is promising is just a recipe for disaster . 3. The amount of small businesses that will be destroyed as a result of this monolithic structure is staggering. 4. The developer has a very shady history within the neighborhood, having owned lots for upwards of 15 years and leaving them to fill with garbage and rats. 5. It will destroy the cultural integrity of this family friendly amusement area.
As it said in this article : Community Board 13 VOTED DOWN the demapping ULURP that the Casino developer wants. The Community Board has spoken ! Council Member Justin Brannan should respect the vote and the decision of the Community Board. This is a big part of the process.
A casino on Coney Island would bring year-round jobs to an area in desperate need of them. Rather than the seasonal employment that dominates Coney Island, a casino and resort, with restaurants and other jobs would create thousands of career pathways where none existed before. These are jobs and opportunities that this community needs. Without a premier entertainment venue, Coney Island will languish behind the rest of New York City for the foreseeable future. For a community that once led the way, a casino can help restore Coney Island to its past greatness. Coney Island also makes logistical sense. Situated between two major airports, the D, F, N and Q trains, major roads from Manhattan and Long Island, and possibly even a ferry, Coney Island is easy to get to via all major forms of transportation. New Yorkers, no matter their preferred form of transit, will be able to get to Coney Island safely and easily. If Coney Island is picked as the location of the casino, New York will be able to lift an entire community out of decades of economic slow growth, all while creating jobs for Brooklyn. Coney Island is the only choice for a casino.