Sands Long Island Casino Bid Joined by Integrative Wellness Leader Canyon Ranch

Posted on: July 28, 2023, 01:13h. 

Last updated on: July 28, 2023, 12:38h.

Devin O'Connor @CasinoorgDevinO Read More
Expertise: Asia Pacific Gaming, Commercial Gaming, Legislation, Politics.

Las Vegas Sands is betting on improving its odds of securing one of the three New York downstate casino licenses by partnering with Canyon Ranch, a leader in the destination wellness category.

Sands Long Island casino Canyon Ranch
A guest at Canyon Ranch’s Lenox resort meditates in front of a fountain. Las Vegas Sands is partnering with Canyon Ranch to bring its health and spa services to its potential Long Island casino. (Image: Canyon Ranch)

Sands is proposing a more than $4 billion integrated casino resort on Long Island at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Uniondale. Sands reps say if the Las Vegas-based casino operator wins one of the three downstate licenses, the company will build a sprawling entertainment and luxury retreat on the 72-acre compound, known locally as the Nassau Hub.

Along with a five-star hotel and a casino floor with slot machines, table games, and sports betting, Sands’ blueprint includes a world-class live concert venue that will honor the long legacy of live music at the Nassau Coliseum. The integrated resort would also feature numerous celebrity chef restaurants and flexible meeting and convention spaces. The casino, Sands says, would occupy less than 10% of the overall square footage.

Sands officials, in discussing the multibillion-dollar project in the past, have additionally teased a comprehensive day spa and health club. This week, those comments became clearer with the announcement of Canyon Ranch joining the project.

Canyon Ranch Long Island

Canyon Ranch owns and operates two resort destinations focused on health and well-being. The resorts, located in Lenox, Mass., and Tucson, Ariz., provide guests with an array of services and amenities.

Canyon Ranch offers services in spa and beauty, fitness, nutrition, health, mind, and spirit. Guests can receive facials and massages, take yoga and other fitness classes, meet with a private health coach, learn how to cook healthier, find their purpose, and receive spiritual guidance.

Canyon Ranch stays aren’t cheap. A “Lifestyle Reset” package, which includes the guest learning how to live a life with more energy and purpose, starts at $1,100 a night before fees and taxes.

Along with its destination resorts, Canyon Ranch operates a smaller facility at The Venetian Resort in Las Vegas. Sands built and owned The Venetian until the company sold the two casinos, The Venetian and The Palazzo, for $6.25 billion in 2021. Some of that cash is expected to be used for Sands Long Island should it win the bidding war.

Far From Done Deal

Neither Sands’ casino nor Canyon Ranch are anywhere close to being a sure thing on Long Island. Sands is one of a dozen or so casino bids being prepared in what’s shaping up to be a hotly contested bidding war for the three coveted concessions.

Along with Sands, notable casino giants expected to bid include Caesars Entertainment for a project in Times Square and Wynn Resorts for a casino in Hudson Yards. Hard Rock is partnered with Steve Cohen for a casino at the billionaire’s Citi Field ballpark, home to the New York Mets.

Coney Island is also being targeted by a consortium consisting of Thor Equities, Saratoga Casino Holdings, and the Chickasaw Nation, the latter of which operates the world’s largest casino in the WinStar World Casino Hotel in Oklahoma. Mohegan is also in the running with a pitch for Midtown East near the UN.