A panel of state and city officials has voted down a proposal by rapper Jay-Z and other backers to open a casino in New York's Times Square District JUAN MABROMATA

A well-financed campaign to build a casino in the heart of New York's theater district collapsed Wednesday as a government-appointed panel voted down the proposal.

Opposition to the project was led by community groups who said a casino would lure unsavory people and theater interests who argued it would cut into Broadway's business.

The Caesars Palace Times Square project, a venture whose sponsors in

The CAC, which is composed of representatives of state and local officials, voted down the proposed $5.4 billion project by 4-2.

City Council Member Erik Bottcher said he voted no after "countless" conversations with constitu

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