A Javits casino? Don't bet on it. (Inhabitat)

After years of opposition, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver has decided to roll the dice on Governor Andrew Cuomo's dream of opening a casino in New York City. There is just one house rule, according to the Daily New's Albany bureau chief Ken Lovett: not in my backyard. (He's just as parochial as his constituents!)

The locations Silver is open to a casino include Coney Island—where Borough President Marty Markowitz desperately wants one—the new Mets megamall at Willets Point and the so-far-failed plans for one at Aqueduct. But proposals like Times Square and at a rejiggered Javits Center are definitely out.

Some insiders want a casino to be part of a redevelopment of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the West Side. But Silver remains adamant about keeping gambling dens out of Manhattan and other densely populated parts of the city, the source said.

Lovett's source claims “one or two other sites (in the city) could pop up as we move forward," and it also remains quite possible no casino could win the support of the Legislature.

Meanwhile, another Albany bureau chief, the Post's Fred Dicker, reveals that the Legislature is willing to alientate land in Flushing Meadows (an act that always requires state approval) to make way for an MLS soccer pitch to be built there.

This would be a boon for the Mets megamall, but another loss for the West Side of Manhattan, where it was hoped an MLS stadium might help prop up a collapsing Pier 40, along with the rest of the funds-starved Hudson River Park. So much for that.

Is his new penthouse a launching pad to a casino in New York?

It appears that casino kingpin Steve Wynn did indeed buy   Christopher Jeffries' dazzling duplex at 50 Central Park South with more in mind than great closet space and Central Park Views.

It looks like he may be angling for a little resident respect when he vies for one of the state's new casino licenses. And we thought he was still smarting over the loss of his old place at the Plaza!

Not that he thinks there should be any limit to the number of casino licenses, he told Capital New York in a recent interview.

Restricting the number of licenses immediately breeds corruption, Mr. Wynn alleged. Maybe not anything criminal, but definitely favoritism. (Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who has worked to legalize gambling, would limit the number of licenses to seven)

But we'd guess a local address wouldn't hurt when the competition gets going, a competition that Mr. Wynn definitely plans to be a part of, limited licenses or not. And while he's been hush-hush about the 50 CPS deal up to this point, Mr. Wynn has finally admitted that he's pretty excited about his latest acquisition.

"I got a new apartment in New York!" he told Capital. "I bought it this morning and I’m gonna move in this fall."

Take a tour of Mr. Wynn's new digs >>

Indeed, the unit just closed for $70 million, a little under the $77.5 million ask, according to The Wall Street Journal, and the discount isn't all that surprising. After all, Mr. Wynn comes from a world where high rollers can always expect some comps.

kvelsey@observer.com

It is not the first time such a project has been attempted -- the most recent one fell through two years ago -- but the hope is that a land-settlement deal, by which the band gives up a 230,000-acre claim in Madison County in exchange for 300 acres in Sullivan County, will help soothe federal regulators who must approve the deal.

State lawmakers see the project as a boon because it will keep gamers from fleeing to Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania for their gambling needs, while also helping to revive the local economy. "This compact is a significant step toward revitalizing the economy of Sullivan County by building on its legacy as a tourist destination," Governor David Paterson said in a release, alluding to the area's history as a haven for Jewish vacationers. 

(Whether casinos are actually good or bad for the community, if not the economy, is perhaps a debate for another day.)

Still, given the difficulties in the past, some locals remains skeptical. "It's been happening for the 40 years I've been here," Jim Collins told the AP. "I've bet on it a couple of times. I've lost." Yet Senator Charles Schumer said at yesterday's announcement that he would fight hard for the project. "This time can be different," Schumer said according to the AP. "This casino is not a guarantee, but it is the closest we've come so far."

Very convincing. Yet why elected officials are so dead-set on gambling is slightly confounding, given that Atlantic City has all but given up on gaming and seems to be doing just fine. Perhaps they have casino envy? Or maybe it's just all the taxes dangling before their eyes.

mchaban [at] observer.com | @mc_nyo