A community center in Brooklyn is getting a donation thanks to community groups that will help hundreds of children and seniors bridge the digital divide. The program is possible thanks to an organization called the Coney, a group hoping to bring entertainment development to the neighborhood. Their mission is simple: to help low-income families have access because connection is power.

For years, Coney Island has been left behind. As much of Brooklyn and New York City experienced a renaissance, Coney Island has remained stagnant. Part of this is because the city and state have not invested here and in doing so allowed our beloved community to fall by the wayside. But Coney Island also must look internally at some of our leaders who for too long have simply said “no” to everything. Never is this more clear than the debate over The Coney, a project that would actually bring jobs and economic development to this community. 

Welcome to Episode 1 of Place Your Bets, New York! Co-hosts Tom Allon and Senator Joseph Addabbo start off chatting with State Senator (and mayoral candidate) Jessica Ramos, followed by a talk with Saratoga Casino Hotel CEO Samuel Gerrity. Is casino expansion something organized labor should be worried about, or is it a boon for union jobs? What’s the best way to decide on the locations of these casinos, and is New York overweighing their potential as an economic engine for the state? Tune in to hear the discussion!

Coney Island is vying to become a year-round destination by adding a casino to the mix. Former City Councilman and spokesperson for The Coney, Robert Cornegy, talks about the plan on PIX11 Morning News.

“The Coney,” the casino seeking approval in the People’s Playground, will create a $200 million community trust fund to support the area if it’s approved, the development team announced on Thursday.

The backers of the proposed Coney Island casino are ramping up their efforts to secure support by offering a direct cash infusion to the community. “The Coney” is the brainchild of a coalition led by Thor Equities, which is now promising $200 million for a community trust if it receives a license to build the casino at the popular tourist destination.

Coney Island hoopers’ dreams have just gotten brighter, thanks to a $50,000 donation that rehabilitated the basketball courts at Surfside Gardens. This grant from The Coney, the team behind the neighborhood’s proposed casino, brought a major makeover to the New York City Housing Authority development with complete resurfacing, new hoops and nets, improved lighting, and fresh paint.

Developers are helping Brooklyn residents get a better idea of what the future of Coney Island might look like by releasing several new renderings of the proposed casino development next to the boardwalk.

To once again deserve the nickname “The World’s Playground,” we need an influx of major private infrastructure. Coney Island needs a world-class hotel. Coney Island needs rooms for conventions. Coney Island needs a large indoor theater for world-class entertainers and musicians. Coney needs free-of-charge, family-friendly bathrooms and other open-space infrastructure. Coney Island needs 4000+ jobs, especially good year-round union jobs. Frankly, there is no other alternative that can activate so much land so quickly. It’s pollyannaish to suggest Coney Island will have a better opportunity in our lifetimes.

The Coney Casino & Resort, a multibillion-dollar project proposed for Brooklyn’s Coney Island, is sweetening its pitch with a rooftop public space that the developers say could become a focal gathering point for the community.

The Coney’s first annual Thanksgiving Turkey Giveaway program launched this week as more than 750 turkeys were donated to families in need thanks to the support of a coalition of Brooklyn-based groups.

As they workshop their proposal to open a new casino in Coney Island, Thor Equities, the team of developers behind the bid, have announced they believe the new gaming facility would bring roughly 4,000 union jobs to the neighborhood.

The proposal, led by Thor Equities Group, Saratoga Casino Holdings, Chickasaw Nation and Legends, will lead to a revitalization of Coney Island and begin a new future for the historic neighborhood.

Former New York City council member Robert Cornegy is now a consultant for The Coney, and he knocked on more than 16,300 doors to discuss the casino proposal and get physical signatures from residents.

“As a Southern Brooklyn resident, I support creating good jobs and new economic growth by establishing a new casino and entertainment district in Coney Island.”

“I don’t think that there’s any better story, when you look at economic development, than Coney Island,” Pippin told PlayNY.

“I get to put passion where my mouth is and do something epic by bringing economic stability to Coney Island,” Cornegy told Brooklyn Paper last month. “This is one of those projects that I am proud to be on because it takes a seasonal community and turns it into a year-round economic development.”

Casino backers say The Coney, a state-of-the-art, year-round entertainment venue, will provide jobs and help jumpstart the economic revival of the neighborhood.

"We have an opportunity to create thousands of jobs for people in hospitality for people who haven’t come back because of the pandemic.”

"We're really excited," Cornegy said. "Obviously, brining economic development and brining jobs and opportunity to that portion of Brooklyn that has been so underserved is an incredible component to the project."