Islandia village board approves plans for expansion of Jake's 58 casino
Islandia Mayor Allan Dorman pores over expansion plans for Jake's 58 casino during a village board meeting on Tuesday. Credit: Johnny Milano
Plans for a $200 million expansion of Jake’s 58 casino in Islandia were approved Tuesday night, clearing the final hurdle for a plan to add parking, pubs and 1,000 new betting machines at the popular gaming parlor.
The village board voted 5-0 to approve a final site plan for the project following a nearly two-hour public hearing, at which few members of the public spoke. Village officials and residents questioned Suffolk OTB officials and their consultants, in particular, about details of the plan, such as parking and traffic.
Islandia Village Mayor Allan M. Dorman said OTB’s proposal for elevated pedestrian crosswalks and speed bumps was inadequate, suggesting a pedestrian bridge instead.
But he said those concerns were not enough to block approval of the expansion.
"Are we going to hold up the whole project because of that? I don't think that's fair," Dorman said before the vote.
OTB president Phil Boyle said the agency would consider modifying its plan.
"We want everything to be effective and efficient for our customers and our neighbors," he said.
One Islandia resident who lives near the site said he was disappointed by the vote.
"I wish it didn't get approved," Rich Meyer, 26, said after the vote. "There's really nothing more you can do. It's politics."
Suffolk OTB plans to double the casino's video lottery gaming terminals from 1,000 to 2,000, add hundreds of parking spaces and refurbish hotel rooms. The expanded casino would feature new pubs and bistros, OTB officials have said.
OTB officials have agreed to erect an 800-foot-long, 10-foot-high sound wall to address concerns from nearby homeowners about noise from the casino. About eight families live in a cul-de-sac just east of Jake's 58.
The planned expansion reflects the success of the gaming parlor — one of the most profitable betting operations in the state since it opened in February 2017.
Jake's 58 has raked in more than $1 billion in gross revenue in the last three months alone, an average of $350 million per month, according to figures posted on the state Gaming Commission website.
Of the $1 billion, 98%, or $980 million, was won by bettors, gaming commission figures show; about $31 million was contributed to the state's public education fund.
The casino has been a gold mine for Suffolk OTB, which escaped bankruptcy in 2020 with the help of Jake's 58 revenue, and for Islandia, which is receiving $47 million spread over 20 years from Suffolk OTB and Jake's previous owner, Buffalo hospitality giant Delaware North.
But the Jake's 58 expansion — together with legalized sports betting and New York's plan to award licenses for three Las Vegas-style casinos in the downstate region later this year — has some worried that problem gambling will proliferate.
Pamela Brenner-Davis, who runs the Uniondale office of the state-sponsored Problem Gambling Resource Center, said she expects calls to the service will jump when the expanded Jake's 58 opens in two years.
Tags promoting the program and a toll-free hotline — 877-846-7369 — are posted on Jake's 58 betting terminals and in casinos throughout the state.
”Whenever there are increased opportunities, there are increased problems,” Brenner-Davis said Tuesday afternoon in an interview. “We are consistently, throughout the state, growing our programs. … We are seeing a trend up in people having problems.”
The expansion plan calls for a new 110,000-square-foot building to be constructed behind the existing casino-hotel. Parking would more than triple, from 600 spaces to about 2,000, OTB officials have said.
The new building would house 1,000 new betting terminals, plus about 500 machines from the current casino. Both buildings would include new bistros and pubs.
The hotel's 210 guest rooms would be upgraded, and a swimming pool and conference rooms that were eliminated to make room for the casino six years ago would be restored.
Plans for a $200 million expansion of Jake’s 58 casino in Islandia were approved Tuesday night, clearing the final hurdle for a plan to add parking, pubs and 1,000 new betting machines at the popular gaming parlor.
The village board voted 5-0 to approve a final site plan for the project following a nearly two-hour public hearing, at which few members of the public spoke. Village officials and residents questioned Suffolk OTB officials and their consultants, in particular, about details of the plan, such as parking and traffic.
Islandia Village Mayor Allan M. Dorman said OTB’s proposal for elevated pedestrian crosswalks and speed bumps was inadequate, suggesting a pedestrian bridge instead.
But he said those concerns were not enough to block approval of the expansion.
WHAT TO KNOW
- The $200 million expansion of Jake's 58, approved by the Islandia village board Tuesday night, includes 1,000 new video lottery terminals, refurbished hotel rooms, three times as much parking, and pubs and bistros.
- The expansion reflects the success of Jake's 58 since it opened in 2017.
- Construction is set to begin later this year and should be completed in early 2025.
"Are we going to hold up the whole project because of that? I don't think that's fair," Dorman said before the vote.
OTB president Phil Boyle said the agency would consider modifying its plan.
"We want everything to be effective and efficient for our customers and our neighbors," he said.
One Islandia resident who lives near the site said he was disappointed by the vote.
"I wish it didn't get approved," Rich Meyer, 26, said after the vote. "There's really nothing more you can do. It's politics."
Suffolk OTB plans to double the casino's video lottery gaming terminals from 1,000 to 2,000, add hundreds of parking spaces and refurbish hotel rooms. The expanded casino would feature new pubs and bistros, OTB officials have said.
OTB officials have agreed to erect an 800-foot-long, 10-foot-high sound wall to address concerns from nearby homeowners about noise from the casino. About eight families live in a cul-de-sac just east of Jake's 58.
The planned expansion reflects the success of the gaming parlor — one of the most profitable betting operations in the state since it opened in February 2017.
Jake's 58 has raked in more than $1 billion in gross revenue in the last three months alone, an average of $350 million per month, according to figures posted on the state Gaming Commission website.
Of the $1 billion, 98%, or $980 million, was won by bettors, gaming commission figures show; about $31 million was contributed to the state's public education fund.
The casino has been a gold mine for Suffolk OTB, which escaped bankruptcy in 2020 with the help of Jake's 58 revenue, and for Islandia, which is receiving $47 million spread over 20 years from Suffolk OTB and Jake's previous owner, Buffalo hospitality giant Delaware North.
But the Jake's 58 expansion — together with legalized sports betting and New York's plan to award licenses for three Las Vegas-style casinos in the downstate region later this year — has some worried that problem gambling will proliferate.
Pamela Brenner-Davis, who runs the Uniondale office of the state-sponsored Problem Gambling Resource Center, said she expects calls to the service will jump when the expanded Jake's 58 opens in two years.
Tags promoting the program and a toll-free hotline — 877-846-7369 — are posted on Jake's 58 betting terminals and in casinos throughout the state.
”Whenever there are increased opportunities, there are increased problems,” Brenner-Davis said Tuesday afternoon in an interview. “We are consistently, throughout the state, growing our programs. … We are seeing a trend up in people having problems.”
The expansion plan calls for a new 110,000-square-foot building to be constructed behind the existing casino-hotel. Parking would more than triple, from 600 spaces to about 2,000, OTB officials have said.
The new building would house 1,000 new betting terminals, plus about 500 machines from the current casino. Both buildings would include new bistros and pubs.
The hotel's 210 guest rooms would be upgraded, and a swimming pool and conference rooms that were eliminated to make room for the casino six years ago would be restored.
Carl MacGowan is a Long Island native who covers Brookhaven Town after having previously covered Smithtown, Suffolk County courts and numerous spot news and feature stories over his 20-plus year career at Newsday.
