The battle over the proposed Nassau County casino in New York continued Thursday during an occasionally heated public meeting attended by over 300 people.

Las Vegas Sands wants one of the three downstate casino licenses to build a massive casino-hotel on the grounds of the former Nassau Coliseum. The plan has the backing of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who oversaw the signing of a 99-year lease last year between the Sands and the county.

But there are court battles ongoing between the county and Hofstra University, which sits next to the proposed site and does not want a casino built there. Last week, Blakeman publicly accused Hofstra of colluding with Hard Rock International, which is teamed up with New York Mets owner Steve Cohen. That group wants one of the licenses to build a casino-hotel complex next to Citi Field in Flushing.

Meanwhile, at the public meeting, some 300 Nassau county residents came out both in support and against the casino plan, according to a CBS report.

Battle spills over

Held in the ballroom of the Uniondale Marriott, those against the casino cited the lack of traffic, air, water, and noise studies, as well as the notion that a casino would bring the whole area down.

Many groups were represented, including Say No To Casino, Citizens Campaign For the Environment, and the Family and Children’s Association. On the other side, many unions were there in support of the casino, as well as representatives from Las Vegas Sands.

The New York State Gaming Commission is expected to issue the three downstate casino licenses, and the regulatory board is still in the process of answering a second round of questions from the would-be casino bidders. Official bids are expected to be due 30 days after the answers are revealed. There are expected to be 11 bidders for the trio of licenses.

Photo: Getty Images