{"id":283935,"date":"2025-10-07T12:15:15","date_gmt":"2025-10-07T12:15:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/283935\/"},"modified":"2025-10-07T12:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-10-07T12:15:15","slug":"the-true-story-of-nycs-underground-casinos-in-only-murders-in-the-building","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/283935\/","title":{"rendered":"The True Story of NYC’s Underground Casinos in ‘Only Murders in the Building’"},"content":{"rendered":"

Spoilers below for Only Murders in the Building<\/a> season five, episode seven.<\/p>\n

Times Square has many things. It has bright lights, and big shows. It also has big stores, and lots of tourists. One thing it does not have and will not be getting anytime soon: a casino<\/a>. That\u2019s true both in the real world and the world of the Arconia<\/a>, although sadly not for its (fictional) residents.<\/p>\n

In the most recent episode of Only Murders of the Building, it was finally revealed what the trio of billionaires have really been scheming about (besides keeping their famous names out of a murder investigation): they\u2019ve been bidding against each other to build New York City\u2019s first full-service casino. Gambling dens have been a new but important setting for our favorite crime-solving podcasters this season.<\/p>\n

While some plot points appear to be ripped from the headlines, not everything is rooted in fact, point-by-point. That said, the show\u2019s writers seem to be drawing from both current debates around casino development and lesser-known slices of New York history.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a brief history of the recent state of casinos in New York City:<\/p>\n

High rollers\"onlyPatrick Harbron\/\/Hulu<\/p>\n

Christoph Waltz, Ren\u00e9e Zellweger, and Logan Lerman play three billionaires who visited the Arconia\u2019s casino\u2026before the murder.<\/p>\n

New York lawmakers approved three new full-scale casino licenses<\/a> for downstate New York in 2022, sparking a competition among developers. Times Square emerged as one of the most high-profile proposals, with SL Green Realty and Caesars Entertainment pitching a casino project at 1515 Broadway<\/a>. Jay-Z\u2019s Roc Nation publicly backed the Times Square plan<\/a>, arguing it would revitalize the area and boost local businesses. Still, the bid faced resistance from theater owners and community groups<\/a> worried about congestion and the neighborhood\u2019s identity. In September, a community board voted down the proposal<\/a>, however.<\/p>\n

Other proposals included a potential new skyscraper casino on Manhattan\u2019s West Side<\/a> from World Trade Center developer Silverstein Properties (somewhat similar, at least in location, to what nepo baby billionaire Jay Pflug, played by Logan Lerman<\/a>, had in mind). There is also the Coney Island casino bid backed<\/a> by Thor Equities, the Chickasaw Nation, Legends, and Saratoga Casino Holdings. Developers say the Brooklyn waterfront site would bring jobs and year-round tourism, though residents remain divided over the potential impact<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s not just going to be the summer of hell,\u201d Marissa Solomon, an appointee of Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny, told The New York Post<\/a>. \u201cIt will be traffic hell all year round, and garbage hell, noise hell, crime hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Underground uptown\"onlyPatrick Harbron\/\/Hulu<\/p>\n

Martin Short, Steve Martin, Da\u2019Vine Joy Randolph, and Selena Gomez try to solve this season\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

Times Square\u2019s casino battle feels like a natural storyline for Only Murders in the Building, as does the Arconia\u2019s newly-discovered (after five seasons) subterranean lounge. The underground casino is rooted in local history. A 1979 New York Times article with the headline \u201cHidden Casinos Run Nightly in New York<\/a>,\u201d pretty much sums up the gist, writing that these establishments flourished all over the city, but that access was limited, with entry requiring \u201ceither an introduction by someone known to the management, or at least a business card or name passed on by another customer.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, the article details that these gambling dens were not limited to just apartment buildings uptown, but were spread all across Manhattan, Queens, and Brooklyn, and the settings varied \u201cfrom town houses just off Fifth Avenue, with marble stairways and wrought iron balconies; to storefronts in the Sheepshead Bay section of Brooklyn, where thick, patterned curtains only thinly veil what is going on inside.\u201d<\/p>\n

A 2011 story on ScoutingNY<\/a>, an archival blog run by a film location scout, paints a picture much closer to the vision expressed on Only Murders. The writer uncovered a preserved 1920s hotel lobby tucked inside an Upper West Side apartment building\u2014named the Ansonia<\/a>, not to get confusing\u2014complete with elaborate chandeliers, ornate plasterwork, and grand staircases.<\/p>\n

\"WestNew York Daily News\/\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

An archival image of the Ansonia in 1984.<\/p>\n

However, while there\u2019s no evidence of the lounge serving as a casino, it did serve for a members-only purpose: it was a Masonic lodge. Freemasons are famously exclusive, with membership historically restricted by invitation and subject to a strict vetting process. The lounge, named the Level Club, only existed for two years, but it included a number of amenities that were deemed ultra-luxurious at the time that one might just think of as a basic perk at the gym or hotel these days, such as a pool and a barber shop. This was a hideaway for a privileged few.<\/p>\n

In the show, all of these puzzle pieces come together at the Arconia, as they always seem to do. Fortunately for the residents of New York, there were no real world bids that suggested buying out an apartment building and transforming it into a casino\u2014nor would that be possible in that short time frame in a co-op building in Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\"Headshot<\/p>\n

Rachel King (she\/her) is a news writer at\u00a0Town & Country. Before joining\u00a0T&C, she spent nearly a decade as an editor at\u00a0Fortune. Her work covering travel and lifestyle has appeared in\u00a0Forbes,\u00a0Observer,\u00a0Robb Report, Cruise Critic, and\u00a0Cool Hunting, among others. Originally from San Francisco, she lives in New York with her wife, their daughter, and a precocious labradoodle. Follow her on Instagram at\u00a0@rk.passport<\/a>.<\/p>\n