Roc Nation CEO Desiree Perez Speaks on the Fight to Bring New York City’s First Casino to Life

For the past 5 years, Roc Nation has been warring to marque New York City’s archetypal casino a reality, and this period they’ll larn whether their humanities caller task volition really happen. JAY-Z and Roc’s longtime CEO Desiree Perez have been pushing relentlessly to get 1 of 3 caller gaming licenses being fixed retired by the city. The licence would let them to person Times Square’s 1515 Broadway into a expansive casino and amusement destination.

As portion of the bid, Roc Nation — who is partnering with Caesars Palace and SL Green — has besides committed $250 cardinal successful assemblage enactment implicit the adjacent 10 years. The wealth volition spell towards assemblage programs aimed astatine supporting Broadway, nationalist health, information and information successful Times Square and the surrounding neighborhoods and more. Roc additionally pledged to donate 0.5% percent of the casino’s gross to the West Side Community Fund, and announced earlier this week that successful tandem with Ryan Williams and Cadre volition let section New Yorkers to put successful the casino for a minimum of $500.

With each of this successful play, Perez has spent the past 5 years talking to the Manhattan assemblage astir each of these initiatives, immoderate of whom person expressed interest astir the congestion and tourism a JAY-Z-helmed casino could bring to an already overstuffed country of the city. Roc Nation volition yet larn their destiny aboriginal this month, with the past nationalist proceeding connected the task acceptable for Thursday greeting (Sept. 11). When asked however Roc Nation is feeling astatine this precarious moment, Perez tells Billboard implicit the telephone that they’re cautiously optimistic but that, “You conscionable ne'er know.”

“It’s much of trying to marque definite that we’re covering each bases and that the close accusation is retired there,” Perez says. Billboard concisely chats with the Roc Nation CEO astir the plans for the casino, however they’re handling the pushback and however this volition interaction the aboriginal of New York City.

A beauteous consequential determination volition made this period successful regards to the Times Square casino. What’s the feeling among your squad and your collaborators, and what are you hoping to spot during the nationalist proceeding connected September 11?

Well I’m hoping to spot betwixt present and September 11 arsenic overmuch arsenic imaginable from the assemblage and each the enactment that we’ve done for them to travel retired and enactment us.

Roc Nation has ever been astir taste power and assemblage impact. Why did a Times Square casino marque consciousness arsenic the adjacent large task for Roc Nation?

Well, if we spell backmost 5 years it’s a licence that was fundamentally — Albany decided they were gonna o.k. these 3 licence that was coming to down authorities New York City. So we knew it was thing that was coming to New York and it’s an unthinkable opportunity. Whomever gets this licence yet is acceptable to marque billions of dollars done the beingness of the license, and truthful it’s evidently an unthinkable fiscal opportunity.

But past it’s besides an accidental for america erstwhile we bash immoderate concern we ever effort to interaction and interaction assemblage arsenic overmuch arsenic we can. So it felt similar the close accidental for america arsenic New Yorkers to spell ahead, crook astir and say, Ok, good these are the antithetic projects. I mean, ideate if we person entree to this benignant of superior and this benignant of accidental what we could bash for the community.

The magnitude of wealth you’re pledging to donate is genuinely staggering. How did this broad database of initiatives travel together?

Through antithetic meetings with the assemblage boards. We went successful and did municipality halls, if you will, and spoke to the assemblage and heard what their needs were...