international reach looks to beat odds

as be able to have the project come to fruition in years, not decades.

Founded by the late Sheldon Adelson in the late 1980s, Las Vegas Sands is considered one of the largest casino companies in the world, although much of its holdings are now in Asia rather than the United States. It reports assets of well over $20 billion.

Local impact examines how such a development will help — or hurt — businesses immediately surrounding the project, as well as those nearby. Workforce enhancement examines how a developer would utilize the existing labor force in Nassau County, providing an estimated number of construction jobs and developing training programs that serve the unemployed.

One of those training projects is expected to be based at Nassau Community College, with Las Vegas Sands providing, in turn, internships and potential jobs.

That, Sands officials have said, could also help develop its diversity framework, which requires the company in its application to examine workforce demographics of unemployed minorities, woman and service-disabled veterans.

But it’s not neighbors Las Vegas Sands would have to convince, but Nassau’s community advisory committee. Without a thumbs up from them, it will be a hard no from the gaming location board. Approval requires a two-thirds majority.

John Kaman, Suffolk County’s deputy executive, said residents and institutions within the town and surrounding areas should understand one another’s needs, and the impact they have on one another.

“We need to make sure that everybody’s listening, everybody’s participating,” Kaman said. “If something like this was going to go forward or not depends upon what the larger community wants to see in their county, in their town, and their neighborhood.”

Geraldine Hart, who leads public safety efforts at Hofstra, worried about the potential increase in crime.

“There’s a number of criminal activities that are associated with human trafficking,” she said. “They include illegal drug sales, kidnapping, extortion, money laundering, prostitution, racketeering and gang related crime.”

GERALDINE HART, WHO leads public safety efforts at Hofstra University, shared with a community forum over the weekend what she says are risks communities face when casinos — like the one planned for the Nassau Hub — are built. Hart gave an overview of many instances of human trafficking and auto accidents — including some she personally witnessed — she says have direct ties with casinos.

Hart also cautioned that the Hempstead Turnpike — one of the most popular roadways traveled in Nassau — was also designated the fourth-most dangerous road in the state last year based on average number of fatalities. Hart cited a Journal of Health Economics study claiming a link between casino expansion and alcohol-related fatal traffic accidents.

Neyrely Munoz, a sophomore majoring in television and film at Hofstra, says she’s also concerned about safety, but much closer to home.

“Near a campus with college students, it doesn’t sound like the best idea,” she said. “I feel as though that the women on campus will feel a lot less safe.”

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