See what a casino atop Saks Fifth Avenue could look like

Last week, plans to build a casino atop Saks Fifth Avenue in Midtown were released. Hudson’s Bay Company announced it would pursue a gaming license in order to convert the upper floors of the flagship store at 611 Fifth Avenue into a casino. New conceptual renderings of the casino, first spotted by the New York Post, reveal a red carpet-lined entrance, lavish interiors, and a rooftop space that overlooks Rockefeller Center.

The Midtown casino would have its own entrance and start on the 9th floor of the 12-story building, spanning across the top three floors,

The store’s 9th floor is currently used to display discounted women’s dresses, lingerie, children’s books, and holiday decorations, according to the New York Times. The building’s 10th floor is currently occupied by Saks Work, a co-working space.

“The Saks Fifth Avenue flagship store is a staple of one of the most iconic streets in Manhattan. It is of particular importance to us that we continue to invest in the vibrancy and spirit of Fifth Avenue itself,” a source close to Hudson’s Bay Company said. “As a next chapter for the Saks Fifth Avenue store and its parent company, Hudson’s Bay Company, we are finalizing our plans to move forward with attaining a gaming license in the state of New York.”

They continued: “More specifically, we have invested significant time and energy over the last year in building a strategic plan to most effectively and positively enhance our Saks Fifth Avenue experience with a luxury, high-end casino. The intention is to convert upper floors that are currently used as swing space to build out the casino that will attract visitors and tourists from around the world seeking that luxurious, Manhattan experience.”

Current renderings are conceptual depictions of a possible casino at Saks Fifth Avenue. It will likely be more than a year before any of the proposed casinos receive a license from the state.

In April 2022, the New York State legislature approved licenses for three new casinos in the New York City area. Since then, Caesars Entertainment and developer SL Green have announced a bid to open a Jay-Z-backed Caesars Palace casino in Times Square at 1515 Broadway.

Other contenders for the gaming licenses include Thor Equities, Steve Cohen, owner of the Mets, and Related Companies, a prominent NYC developer who would work alongside Wynn Resorts to create a casino.

Compared to the other proposals, the Saks Fifth Avenue casino would require the least amount of work and could be completed in just under a year of construction. Other projects, like the Caesars Palace casino, which proposes the creation of a hotel, wellness center, theater space for The Lion King, and restaurants, would be a bigger undertaking.

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• Saks Fifth Avenue proposes casino atop flagship store in Midtown
• Jay-Z joins effort to open a casino in Times Square
• Caesars Palace casino proposed for Times Square office tower

Renderings courtesy of Hudson’s Bay Company