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Preliminary approval of Jake's 58 casino expansion expected next week

A dealer conducts a game of roulette at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, N.J., on Dec. 2, 2022. On March 16, 2023, New Jersey gambling regulators released figures showing that gambling winnings including internet and sports betting were up 10.4% in February compared with a year earlier. But what the casinos consider their core business, the amount of money won from in-person gamblers, was up only 1.2%. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)
Wayne Parry
/
AP
A dealer conducts a game of roulette.

Suffolk Off-Track Betting will build a sound wall to address noise complaints from residents near Jake’s 58. This comes ahead of a vote that will decide the fate of an expansion project for the casino.

Plans have been met with resistance from nearby Islandia residents, concerned about traffic and noise.

In response, casino operator Suffolk OTB, will create a 10-foot wall of sound-absorbing material between neighborhoods and the casino property, lined with vegetation. Work has already begun on adding green space to create more distance.

Islandia officials will vote next week on preliminary site plan approval of the $200 million project. Plans include a second building with a parking garage, updates to the hotel and pool, new lounges and conference rooms and more.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed legislation earlier this year allowing the casino to double its video lottery terminals.

Sabrina is host and producer of WSHU’s daily podcast After All Things. She also produces the climate podcast Higher Ground and other long-form news and music programs at the station. Sabrina spent two years as a WSHU fellow, working as a reporter and assisting with production of The Full Story.