New York City Gets Its First Casino: Good Idea?
SodaHead News
2011/10/31 13:00:00
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No, New York City did not suddenly legalize gambling. But they did get a full-sized Vegas-style casino. The Resorts World Casino New York City is possible thanks to an innovative technology-driven design, the Aqueduct Racetrack, and a couple of legal loopholes. The casino officially opened for business on Friday to tens of thousands of guests, sources say.
The Resorts World Casino boasts free drinks, buffet meals, horse racing, and of course legal casino gambling (with a twist). The state is allowing the casino in hopes of boosting the economy. Not only does owner Genting Group propose to generate up to $1.5 million a day for the state, but it's also creating jobs.
The Resorts World Casino boasts free drinks, buffet meals, horse racing, and of course legal casino gambling (with a twist). The state is allowing the casino in hopes of boosting the economy. Not only does owner Genting Group propose to generate up to $1.5 million a day for the state, but it's also creating jobs.
At the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Friday, Resorts World New York President Michael Speller said, "We are thrilled to welcome the public to this extraordinary new entertainment venue which will permanently employ 1,350 New Yorkers, of which 89 percent are either minorities or women ... [We] will work hard with the State and leadership to find more ways to create even more jobs -– as many as tens of thousands -– on our site as soon as possible."
So how did they pull off a legal casino in New York? Well, for starters, they built it around the Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, New York legalized electronic gambling at racetracks to raise money. To address the "electronic" aspect, Resorts World features robotic dealers instead of human dealers. They're also emphasizing games like craps, baccarat, and an Asian dice game called sic bo, as opposed to poker and blackjack.
of course, there are potential setbacks. Local businesses fear the establishment will draw crime. Enzo Bellissimo, an auto shop owner who's been running his business across the street for almost 40 years, told the New York Times, "It is going to create a big mess. Prostitutes. Crime. Gamblers are not going to create new business for us. I don't want this garbage."
Top Opinion
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Phil 2011/11/01 01:35:50Yes
+4Sure, OK, NJ, and NV are plagued with casinos, might as well have a thousand of them in each of Obama's 57 States. That way there would be "Every dollar left behind" by poor people spending what little food money they have on slots trying to get rich, and asking for food stamps instead of spending their dollars where they should. Really? Isn't that where the proposed $1.5mil a day comes from to pay New York. And that's just the taxes, how much more money are these sad sacks going to spend to keep this place in business every day? Yeah, we need more casinos so we can have more on welfare. Hey, that would be one way that the gamblers could recover part of their losses.
Hip, hip Hooray!