New York is finally going to have its own casino. Ozone Park, one of New York’s famous neighborhoods in Queens, is where the first casino is set to open. The casino will be built at the Aqueduct Race Track. The area is a 192 acre expanse of land in Ozone Park. The casino is aiming to reel in the public with more than 4000 slot machines under one roof.
The casino is being developed by a company called Genting New York. Genting is a Malaysian casino giant. They have businesses in Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Genting New York is its subsidiary.
The company is eager to start this venture as it would mean entry into New York. The company already has other investments in the United States which dates back to 20 years. The building of the casino fell into the lap of Genting after it won the bid for the same in the year 2010.
Genting plans to have the casino set up with an entertainment section as well where there would be live shows and events. The casino will be called Resort World New York. Genting is set to build a similar casino in Miami, Florida, for which they have already acquired the land. Resort World Miami is expected to be larger than the casino planned in New York.
The Story Behind the Casino
The Aqueduct Racetrack has a history dating back to the 1800s when thoroughbreds were raced. The track was an instant hit and the place for many famous races. Horses included in the hall of fame have won many races on the Aqueduct tracks. In the year 2007, the Governor of New York went into discussions with his senate regarding closing of the racetrack and converting it into a casino. A bid was called and seven companies including casino giants like MGM and Wynn applied for the slot. The bid was won by the Aqueduct Entertainment Group. The winning of the bid by the group became highly controversial. Ultimately, the deal was withdrawn and a new group was chosen for running the casino. This is how the Aqueduct casino business fell into the lap of Genting. The casino is still under controversy due to the change in license by the state. Aqueduct Entertainment is planning to sue the state regarding the matter. Despite all these problems, the casino at Aqueduct is finally moving toward reality.
The building of the casino will itself bring in a lot of jobs for the area. It is stated that more than 1000 construction workers will get jobs during the construction work. Once the casino opens, there will be permanent posts for more than 800 people. Many of these would go to the locals.
This would greatly help in increasing the standard of living of the people in the area. The opening of the casino will also bring the state annual revenues in the likes of $500 million.
Finally, New York, one of the major hubs of the United States of America, will have a casino to call its own.