As the high-stakes contest to claim a New York casino gaming license heats up, property owners in Times Square, including its two anchor buildings, are backing a bid from heavyweights SL Green Realty and Caesars Entertainment.

The aim is to put a casino resort in the entertainment and tourist hub.

Jamestown, owner of One Times Square, where the famous New Year’s Eve Ball drop takes place, and Sherwood Equities, owner of Two Times Square that anchors the north side of Times Square, have lent their support for the proposed Caesars Palace Times Square casino at 1515 Broadway by SL Green, Caesars and billionaire rapper Jay-Z’s entertainment company, Roc Nation.

Other property owners backing the bid include SoHo Properties, the Moinian Group, Wharton Properties, RFR Holding, Ian Schrager Company, and Stillman Development.

The support was announced Thursday by the Coalition for a Better Times Square, a group launched by SL Green, Manhattan’s largest office landlord, in 2022 with its partners.

Times Square “is the destination for the domestic tourist as well as the international traveler and a playground for New Yorkers from all five boroughs,” RFR co-founder and principal Aby Rosen said in the statement. “No location in the city is more suitable for the beginning of our gaming industry than Times Square, being the No. 1 tourist destination and hub for entertainment, hospitality, retail and transportation.”

RFR, a major New York developer, owns the Paramount Hotel at 235 W. 46th St. in Times Square, a spokesperson for the casino-backing coalition told CoStar News.

The support marked the first time any other developer or property owner has publicly backed SL Green's bid for a casino license, according to the spokesperson.

But the group goes beyond landlords: It’s made up of more than 30 local businesses, labor unions, and community organizations in Times Square and the adjacent Hell's Kitchen area, the spokesperson said.

“As one of the closest neighbors to the proposed site, we carefully considered the impact this bid would have on our neighborhood,” Charlie Rosenberg from The Paramount Building at 1501 Broadway said in the statement. “The more we learned, the more it became clear that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to invest in the future of Times Square and firmly improve the quality of life for neighbors in the area. Our tenants include restaurants, small creative businesses, and Broadway industry leaders that would all benefit from this bid for a Caesars Palace Times Square.”

To be sure, not everyone wants a casino in Times Square. The Broadway League, which represents the theaters that the neighborhood is known for, is against the project. It’s part of the counter No Times Square Casino coalition that includes some of the area’s largest resident groups such as the Hell’s Kitchen Neighborhood Association. That organization has cited congestion and economic disturbance among its concerns.

Getting support from the community is critical as the New York Gaming Facility Board, which has officially issued a request for applications, said earlier this year that developers and gaming companies applying for a license will have to obtain approval from a local community advisory committee and get all municipal zoning and land-use requirements set before any application will be evaluated.

“When it comes to Times Square, the community has spoken with a resounding ‘NO,’” the No Times Square Casino coalition said in a statement earlier this year.

The Coalition for a Better Times Square, on the other hand, said Thursday its group continues to grow and that a new gaming facility in Times Square has “broad support” from its neighbors, adding the proposed casino resort would “bring enormous benefits to the neighborhood and its local small businesses.”

The proposed casino bid involves redeveloping 1515 Broadway as an entertainment and gaming destination in the heart of Times Square. Unlike some of the megacasinos in Las Vegas, the Times Square casino will be boutique in size, spanning about 250,000 square feet across eight floors in the 54-story 1515 Broadway. There’s also a plan for a new, 950-room hotel above the casino. The theater for the hit Broadway show “The Lion King,” already based in the building, will also be part of the project, the casino partners have said.

The move comes as Times Square has shown continued signs of rebound from the ghost town days at the start of the pandemic. It comes as New York’s tourist count this year has recovered to some 93% of the 2019 level. While office vacancies have record highs, the proposal shines a spotlight on office landlords such as SL Green diversifying beyond the property type they are traditionally known for.

The promise of a potential windfall from a casino license in New York has invited a who’s who list of developers and casino companies to also throw the dice to compete for one of up to three downstate gaming licenses the state is expected to issue in and around New York.

For instance, the Soloviev Group, known for projects such as New York’s iconic 9 W. 57th St. office tower overlooking Central Park, has partnered with casino operator Mohegan in proposing a mixed-use casino resort south of United Nations headquarters. It recently added affordable housing units to boost its odds at a site that it’s billed as the largest undeveloped lot in Manhattan.

Other casino contenders include Related Cos., which has teamed up with Wynn Resorts to pursue a license at Western Yards, directly next to the Javits Center convention venue, at Hudson Yards, the largest U.S. private development.

Developer Thor Equities has unveiled a $3 billion-plus casino, hotel and entertainment proposal for Coney Island.

The Mets owner, Steven Cohen, is said to be eyeing a casino license in Queens near Citi Field as New York is set to build its first professional soccer-specific stadium in the borough as part of a megadevelopment.

Silverstein Properties, the New York developer that was key to rebuilding lower Manhattan after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, in June said it plans to develop the Avenir, a hotel, casino, entertainment and residential complex spanning 1.8 million square feet on Manhattan’s far west side.