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  #81  
Old Posted Aug 16, 2010, 4:09 PM
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Racino at Aqueduct will have electronic versions of baccarat and roulette as well as slots



Above, a rendering a the proposed Racino at Aqueduct. The state lottery plans to roll out electronic versions of roulette and baccarat at racinos around N.Y., including Aqueduct.


BY Kenneth Lovett
August16th 2010

Quote:
The new racino scheduled to open in months at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens will have more than just video slot machines.

The state lottery is ready to roll out electronic versions of roulette and baccarat next month in a racino in upstate Saratoga Springs, the Daily News has learned.

The new games will also be introduced later at the state's other racinos - including Aqueduct.

Stefan Friedman, spokesman for the Malaysia-based company picked to build and operate the Aqueduct racino, said electronic table games will be part of the mix when the Aqueduct racino opens early next year, "subject to Lottery's approval."

The new games "are common in all casinos, and we welcome them into the mix as they will provide variety and will help compete with casinos in other states," Friedman said.

The New York State Constitution prohibits casino table games.

Lottery officials insist electronic versions are legal because they are considered games of chance run off the agency's computer system and similar to other games already offered.

Lottery division spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said the idea is to offer more choices for customers.

The video slots tend to attract an older clientele. Games like baccarat and roulette may lure younger players, Givner said.

If the new games are successful, other electronic games like blackjack could be introduced down the road.

The Aqueduct racino is allowed a maximum of 4,525 video lottery terminals. The table games would count toward that cap.


Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and West Virginia already offer electronic table games, Givner said.

Sen. Frank Padavan, the state Legislature's leading gambling critic, recently sent a letter to the lottery ripping the idea of the table games as "ill conceived and certainly unconstitutional."

He asked for a delay in the implementation so the attorney general's office can render a formal legal opinion.

Givner, citing a previous court case, believes the lottery can move forward without legislative approval.
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  #82  
Old Posted Aug 17, 2010, 10:23 PM
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http://www.observer.com/2010/real-es...-and-delivered

Aqueduct MOU Signed And Delivered



By The Real Estate Desk
August 17, 2010

Quote:
The long-sought Memorandum of Understanding to designate a winning developer of slot machines at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens has finally been signed, as expected, by the governor, Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver and the Senate Majority leader, John Sampson.

The three leaders announced this news this afternoon. From Governor Paterson, in a statement:

After an extensive review of the applicants and the final Division of Lottery recommendation, I am pleased to announce my support for Genting New York to build and operate the video slots parlor at Aqueduct. ... Genting emerged as the winner of a highly competitive process that saw potential bidders narrowed from an original pool of seven down to one. I commend Senate Conference Leader Sampson and Assembly Speaker Silver for joining me in support of Genting New York and revitalizing the Aqueduct Racetrack.
The release:
http://readme.readmedia.com/Governor...edia_pr_emails
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  #83  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2010, 5:53 PM
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http://therealdeal.com/newyork/artic...eyond-aqueduct

Genting hopes to expand beyond Aqueduct

August 23, 2010

Quote:
Genting Berhad, the Malaysian company that is close to getting final approval for its $380 million bid to operate the city's first gambling parlor at the Aqueduct racetrack, has big plans for the Queens raceway and for expansion into the rest of the country, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The project -- Genting's first in the U.S. -- will initially be limited to 4,500 slot machines and electronic table games, but the company hopes to later expand it into a destination resort with upscale hotels to attract international travelers.
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  #84  
Old Posted Aug 23, 2010, 10:13 PM
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In Queens? Oh no no no no.

They're lucky they're so close to JFK and the A, or there'd be a serious problem. The Aqueduct Racetrack station is looking at a ridership increase in the next few years!
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  #85  
Old Posted Aug 24, 2010, 2:27 PM
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They're lucky they're so close to JFK and the A, or there'd be a serious problem. The Aqueduct Racetrack station is looking at a ridership increase in the next few years!
Maybe for tourists who would have to go out of their way, but there's a ready and willing population just waiting for the place to open. Mark my words, they will do very well there.
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  #86  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2010, 6:55 PM
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Flea Market Considers Its Fate in a Casino World



By FERNANDA SANTOS and MIRELA IVERAC
August 29, 2010


Quote:
To the uncertainties over the arrival of casino gambling in a working-class neighborhood in Queens, add this: What will become of the sprawling flea market that has made its home at Aqueduct racetrack for more than 30 years? Will the vision of a lavish new Aqueduct, filled with thousands of slot machines and high-end restaurants, accommodate a down-market collection of stalls in a parking lot?

Stroll the market’s crowded aisles or walk along nearby Liberty Avenue, nerve center of the small business district in the Ozone Park neighborhood, and you are bound to hear those questions.

Shopkeepers describe the market as one piece of an engine that has kept on fueling the surrounding business district even in tough economic times. Its stalls are extensions of some of the stores there, and also of small factories, bakeries, wholesale and home-based businesses in neighborhoods all around.

Shoppers come from near and far. Stacy Lee, 35, a police officer in Kingston, Jamaica, travels to the flea market at least once a year and returns home stocked with goods, like the dresses, skirts, moisturizers and kitchen utensils she had stuffed in a green suitcase one recent Saturday.

“I wouldn’t be buying and lugging them back if they weren’t cheap,” Ms. Lee said.

The flea market was not a factor in the decision to award a contract to develop a casino at Aqueduct, so its future is up in the air. But neighborhood leaders and vendors suspect the market may be seen as insignificant given the magnitude of the project.

At a time when the state is in desperate need of cash, the developer, Genting New York, would provide the state with a $380 million licensing fee up front. Genting, a subsidiary of the largest gambling company in Malaysia and Britain, said the casino — which has 4,525 video slot machines and is linked to restaurants and a nearby subway station by a climate-controlled bridge — could generate $1.5 million or more a day in tax revenue.

“We’re just collateral damage,” said Yvonne Kissoon, 52, a Guyanese immigrant who has sold lingerie from a stall at the market since 1987. Eight years later, Ms. Kissoon said, she and her husband, Reggie, had saved enough to open a store on Liberty Avenue, near 108th Street, four blocks from the market’s main entrance on Rockaway Boulevard.

The flea market fills the racetrack’s north parking lot. It is open on Tuesdays and weekends and has at least 500 stalls offering clothes, perfumes and accessories; slushies, spices and chicken shish kebobs; statues of the Hindu god Ganesh and lucky money trees that, according to practitioners of feng shui, are conducive to prosperity.

A collection of flags — Guyanese, Colombian, Jamaican, Brazilian, Italian, American — flutter above the stands, revealing the nationalities of the vendors. To them, the market is a first step on their climb up the economic ladder, or their sole support.

Steven Baum, 55, who lives on Long Island, has sold formal dresses and suits at the market for 25 years, as well as at a flea market in Columbus, N.J. Samer Zaben, 24, a civil engineering student from Howard Beach, Queens, works at the market on weekends, helping his parents sell men’s clothing from two stands.

People travel by car, subway or bus, with some buses coming from as far away as Baltimore and Philadelphia. David King, 57, a biomedical engineer, traveled from Boston one recent Saturday on a trip organized by the Methodist church he attends.

“You get your bargains, and that’s why you come here,” Mr. King said.

Wilfer Asprilla, 39, an immigrant from Colombia who lives in Maspeth, Queens, said he made a living from the food he had sold at the market for 15 years, and up to 500 people might stop by on a Saturday or Sunday to savor his mozzarepa — mozzarella cheese on sweet ground corn cakes — and other specialties.

A manager at the flea market, Tom Walker, drove past Mr. Asprilla’s stand in a golf cart and said that rumblings of the market’s closing were “rumor at this point.” Mr. Asprilla seemed resigned to it, though, saying, “It’s going to happen sooner or later.”

It has happened at least once, years ago, before a previous attempt to build a casino at Aqueduct failed. (The effort to place a casino at the racetrack has been almost 10 years in the making.) “We got to the market one day and they gave us a slip at the gate saying it would be the last day,” Ms. Kissoon, the lingerie seller, recalled.

The market wound up closing on weekends for a few months. “We have no idea what will happen this time,” she said.

Messages left at the Westbury, N.Y., offices of Plain N Fancy Shows, which operates the market, have not been returned. The New York Racing Authority, which runs Aqueduct, said the arrangement with the market was private and could not be discussed.

In a statement, Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for Genting New York, said the company had not yet “focused on the property outside of the proposed casino” but it was open to exploring “all possible uses of the site.”

The Indo-Caribbean Alliance, a community organization based in Ozone Park, is working to organize the vendors and find other places in the area that could house the market. But Betty Braton, chairwoman of Community Board 10, which represents the area, said, “There aren’t too many pieces of property that can accommodate something of this size.”

In the meantime, the vendors press on, trying to figure out how much merchandise to order, a difficult calculation when they do not know if the market will be around much longer.

“I don’t know how you can have 10-, 20-year tenants and not have the decency of telling them what’s going to happen,” Ms. Kissoon said. “To them, it might be just a decision. But it’s our livelihood you’re talking about here.”
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  #87  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2010, 7:09 PM
J. Will J. Will is offline
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Originally Posted by NYguy View Post
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...ews+%28News%29

Racino at Aqueduct will have electronic versions of baccarat and roulette as well as slots



Above, a rendering a the proposed Racino at Aqueduct. The state lottery plans to roll out electronic versions of roulette and baccarat at racinos around N.Y., including Aqueduct.


BY Kenneth Lovett
August16th 2010
Seems silly to only have slots, baccarat, and roulette to start, and possibly have blackjack later.

Why don't they just buy the machines that other racetrack "casinos" have been using for many years that let the user choose from a bunch of different games including several variations of poker and blackjack.
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  #88  
Old Posted Aug 30, 2010, 7:22 PM
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Originally Posted by J. Will View Post
Seems silly to only have slots, baccarat, and roulette to start, and possibly have blackjack later.
They're still trying to put something together. I guess the main concern right now is that they reach their target base, in the numbers they need to reach.
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  #89  
Old Posted Sep 13, 2010, 8:19 PM
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Malaysian Casino Giant Gets Approval For NY Operation

By Dawn Wotapka and A.D. Pruitt
September 13, 2010

Quote:
Genting Bhd., the growing Malaysian casino giant, says it received final approval to operate the first gambling parlor in the Queens borough of New York City.

"We are eager to immediately begin investing, creating jobs, sparking economic activity and bringing New York a one-of-a-kind iconic, entertainment destination," K.T. Lim, chairman of Genting Malaysia Berhad (4715.KU), said in a statement.

State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli labeled the deal "one of the most important vendor contracts New York has ever signed."

"It's a 30-year license that carries the future of New York's racing industry on its back," he added in a statement.

While the Aqueduct Race Track operation, Genting's first in the U.S., will initially be limited to 4,500 slot machines and electronic table games, Genting hopes it will eventually expand into a destination resort that would include upscale hotels and attract international travelers.

The company, which controls casino resorts in Malaysia and Singapore, oil palm plantations and the Norwegian Cruise lines, is hoping Aqueduct will open the gateway to the U.S.'s vast gaming terrain.

Genting is eyeing U.S. gaming opportunities in places like Las Vegas, California and Massachusetts and has plans to possibly spin off at some point its U.S. operation into a separate public company.
_____________________________________


http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...0/REAL_ESTATE#

At long last, a winner at Aqueduct
After nearly a decade of botched races, NY state comptroller makes it official, gives nod to Genting
for racino expected to generate $1.5M a day; $380M check in the mail.




By Amanda Fung
September 13, 2010

Quote:
It's official— Genting New York has crossed the finish line and will bring video slot machines to the rundown Aqueduct Racetrack.

As expected, New York state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli announced Monday that he has signed off on the lucrative contract with Genting New York, part of giant Kuala Lumpur-based casino operator Genting Malaysia Berhad, for a video lottery facility at Aqueduct. Mr. DiNapoli was the last state official needed to approve the contact, which is effective immediately.

“After nearly a decade of false starts and broken promises, the VLT contract is done,” Mr. DiNapoli said in a press statement. “This is one of the most important vendor contracts New York has ever signed. The contract involves hundreds of millions of dollars. It's a 30-year license that carries the future of New York's racing industry on its back.”

Genting now needs to deliver its check for $380 million, the promised upfront licensing fee, to the state. Assuming all goes as planned, 1,600 video slot machines will be open by this spring. Genting expects to generate $1.5 million per day in revenue for the state once it has all 4,500 video slot machines in place in about a year.

“Genting Malaysia Berhad is honored to have earned final approval to begin building a new facility at Aqueduct," said K.T. Lim, chairman of Genting Malaysia Berhad, in a press statement. "We are eager to immediately begin investing, creating jobs, sparking economic activity and bringing New York a one-of-a-kind iconic, entertainment destination.”


The final sign-off comes a week after reports came out that Mr. DiNapoli was concerned over the selection of Genting. Mr. DiNapoli's office confirmed that it had more questions for New York Lottery regarding Genting but declined to elaborate.

“My office did this right and we did it expeditiously without sacrificing thoroughness. We took every step to ensure the taxpayers are safeguarded in this contract,” said Mr. DiNapoli. “It's New Yorkers' money; it's my job to protect it.”

This latest, and now officially the final round of bidding to build and operate a racino in Ozone Park, Queens, has been deemed more transparent and faster than the four previous rounds.

In addition to slots, Genting intends to open a 200-seat high-end Chinese restaurant, a sports bar with a 280-seat lounge, other buffet-style restaurants, and even a water show. The company said it expects to complete the restaurants, food court and 2,200-space parking garage within one year of its contract start.
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  #90  
Old Posted Sep 28, 2010, 12:19 PM
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Paying Fee, Firm Is Set to Bring Slots to Aqueduct

By CHARLES V. BAGLI
September 27, 2010


Quote:
The check is in; the gambling may soon begin.

Genting New York, the company selected to operate electronic slot machines at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, gave the state its $380 million licensing fee on Friday, and says it hopes to begin work soon. A subsidiary of the largest gambling company in England and Southeast Asia, Genting says it will have 1,600 electronic slots running at the aging track six months after receiving a final environmental review and a total of 4,525 machines within a year.

The slot parlor at Aqueduct will be the city’s first casino and will bring to an end a lengthy travail of false starts, delays and political squabbling. “After almost a decade of delay, this project is finally becoming a reality and all New Yorkers will benefit,” Gov. David A. Paterson said at a news conference Monday.

Genting is so eager to get a foothold in the New York City market that it delivered the payment five days before it was due. When fully open, the slot parlor is expected to be the most successful of nine tracks in the state that have slots and generate more than $1.5 million a day in tax revenue for the state.

Most of that tax money is earmarked for education. Genting plans to refurbish the drab Aqueduct building, creating a three-story gambling hall with an elevated passageway to the nearby subway stop. The top floor, which will be for large public events, could be used for poker, roulette and other table games, should the state permit them.

At the news conference, Mike Speller, the president of Genting, said the company “is excited to have crossed the finish line and will now quickly get to work building a first-class casino that will not only showcase the best in gaming and entertainment, but will result in more than 2,000 jobs and significant recurring revenue for New York State.”
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  #91  
Old Posted Sep 30, 2010, 1:57 PM
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http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/100929810

Work on Aqueduct racino to begin in Nov.
First phase with 1,600 slot machines to open in the spring; $241 million facility to be completed in 18 months expected to generate $1.5 million a day in tax revenue for NY.




By Amanda Fung
September 29, 2010

Quote:
Construction company Tutor Perini Corp. announced Wednesday that it will commence building the sprawling, much-delayed video-slot-machine facility at Aqueduct Racetrack around the first of November.

The company is working for developer Genting New York, the winning bidder in the decade-long race to revive the crumbling racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens.

At a news conference earlier this week, Genting New York, part of a giant Malaysian-based casino and cruise ship operator, announced it had delivered its upfront licensing fee of $380 million—five days ahead of the official deadline. Tutor Perini said the construction costs of the 4,500 video-slot-machine facility will be $241 million. When the racino is completed in 18 months, it is expected to generate $1.5 million a day in tax revenue to the state.

“Genting is excited to have crossed the finish line and will now quickly get to work building a first-class casino that will not only showcase the best in gaming and entertainment, but will result in more than 2,000 jobs and significant recurring revenue for New York state,” said Mike Speller, president of Genting New York, in a statement.

“They are ready to move forward with construction, and we are anxious to see the facility get up and running, hopefully by the spring with the initial phase,” said Betty Braton, chair of Community Board 10, which covers the area around the race track.

The new facility, dubbed Resorts World New York, will have a newly-constructed entrance lobby and porte-cochere, as well as an elevated and covered walkway that will connect the facility to the subway station. Tutor also said it will improve the exterior of the existing structure, as well as roadways, parking lots and landscaping. Genting plans to open a 200-seat high-end Chinese restaurant, a sports bar with a 280-seat lounge, several buffet-style restaurants, and even a water show. The company said it expects to complete the restaurants, food court and roughly 2,100-space, multi-level parking garage a little over a year after construction starts.

The facility will open in three phases, so it can begin operations almost immediately, according to Tutor Perini. The first 1,600 video slots are expected to be in operation this spring. At the end of the second phase, the remaining slots will open as well as a light show, the restaurants, a sports bar and the entrance lobby.
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  #92  
Old Posted Oct 25, 2010, 8:18 PM
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Some may lose in Aqueduct game
Flea market seen as local institution faces ouster by racino




By Patrick Clark
October 24, 2010

Quote:
It's easy to spot the winners in the long-awaited deal to put hundreds of video slot machines in a new racino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. New York state gets a $380 million licensing fee and future tax revenue to bank on, while Malaysian gaming company Genting gets to put 4,500 video slot terminals just three miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport. Meanwhile, the local economy gets a big shot in the arm from a project expected to generate 1,300 construction and 800 permanent jobs.

To find the probable losers, look no further than the South Ozone Park racetrack's sprawling front parking lot. There, 1,000 vendors stage the city's largest flea market on Tuesdays and weekends from April through December. For those small business operators, mostly immigrants, the flea market is their first toehold on the path to prosperity. With the flea market facing possible closure, the vendors' prospects are uncertain, and they may find their lives upended.

Consider Vietnam native Mike Thai, who has sold cheap wristwatches at Aqueduct for the past 10 years. On a day when the sun is shining and shoppers are plentiful, he can clear a profit of around $400. Since news of the racino deal broke, he's been considering relocating to a New Jersey flea market but worries that the 90-minute drive is too far.

“The problem is, my van is old,” Mr. Thai says. “It's not going to make it.”

Mortgage blues

Sandy Harry faces a more desperate situation. For the past eight years, the Guyanese immigrant has supplemented her income as a babysitter for a Manhattan family by selling jewelry and apparel at the flea market. Confident that she was getting ahead, she took an adjustable-rate mortgage and bought a house in Richmond Hill. When the interest rate jumped, she found herself struggling to make payments.

“Without this, I will lose my home,” Ms. Harry says. “I take the little salary I make in the city and I invest it [buying wholesale jewelry] to sell at the market to make a profit and pay my bills.”

According to the Center for an Urban Future's World of Opportunity report, immigrant entrepreneurs like Mr. Thai and Ms. Harry are among the most dependable engines of the city's economy, creating growth in all cycles. Many of them make their money catering to the needs of fast-growing immigrant populations.

Vishnu Mahadeo, president of the Economic Development Council in Richmond Hill, notes that many residents in his area rely on vendors like Mr. Thai and Ms. Harry for inexpensive goods they send to their families abroad.

“When they want to fill their suitcases to send back to their home country, the flea market is one of the places they go,” Mr. Mahadeo says.

Not everyone, however, would be sorry to see the flea market close. Some local residents consider it a source of garbage and crime.

Betty Braton, chairman of Community Board 10, which includes the racetrack, declined to comment on the fate of the flea market, but says she supports the racino because of all the jobs it will create.

Now hiring

Those jobs are already starting to appear.Genting is planning an Oct. 28 groundbreaking. A company spokesman says that hiring is ramping up in advance of that date. He also says that Genting has made no decision about the flea market. Nonetheless, the company told the Community Board back in July that the market would have to move.

The flea market's operator, Plain N Fancy Shows, which has only a month-to-month lease, says it has yet to be told if the market is staying or going. Although Mr. Thai wonders why there has been little concern for the vendor jobs that stand to be lost, he is resigned to moving on.

“We always stock up for Christmas shopping,” he says. “But I've talked to my friends here [in the market], and everyone says, "The flea market's ending.' This year, we're just liquidating [our stock].” ?
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  #93  
Old Posted Oct 28, 2010, 2:01 PM
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NYC's big casino gamble begins



10/27/10
By Erik Ortiz

Quote:
Will the planned groundbreaking today of New York City’s first casino ultimately infuse a bit of Las Vegas in Queens?

The project, known as Resorts World New York, is set to make over the aging Aqueduct Racetrack site with a sleek, shiny design. Its owner, Genting New York, plans to install 4,500 video slot machines, the first 1,600 of which will be ready by May, project officials said.

“Upscale, certainly,” said Genting spokesman Stefan Friedman of the concept yesterday. “Definitely not Vegas, though.”

The $325 million construction project includes building a two-story sports bar and lounge, a food court, a high-end Chinese restaurant and an indoor water show to open by the end of next year. A new pedestrian bridge will connect to the Aqueduct subway stop.

But when it comes to its marketing, Resorts won’t be courting any specific type of customer, Friedman said.

At Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, currently the closest casino to New York City, the slots demographic skews older and female, said Tim Rooney Jr., whose family owns the casino.

The slots parlor hosts monthly comedy nights as one way to attract a younger crowd, Rooney said, adding that there’s “plenty population” for both Empire City and Resorts to thrive.

Resorts is expected to top Empire City, potentially generating more than $1 million in revenue per day for the state’s education fund.

Some New Yorkers are hesitant about having a casino in their backyard, especially since there won’t be table games, like Blackjack, offered.

“I think I’d go more to the full casino, because if I go with friends, we go to shows and to restaurants,” said Seborn Ragsdale, 42, of Hell’s Kitchen, who’s planning a trip to Las Vegas next month. “It’s the whole experience of going.”

(With Heidi Lee)
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  #94  
Old Posted Oct 29, 2010, 3:58 PM
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Old Posted Nov 10, 2010, 4:24 AM
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Racino construction officially underway



by Bryan Yurcan, Assistant Editor
11/04/2010

Quote:
Genting officials have said they envision Resorts World New York as both a day trip destination and an evening entertainment option.
The company believes the facility will attract residents from throughout the city as well as tourists in large part due to it’s easy access by subway.

Mike Speller, president of Genting New York, also believes the facility will attract short-term visitors who stop by for a few hours, such as those who have a layover at Kennedy International Airport or who are returning home from Mets games.

Speller said the facility will provide more than 1,300 construction jobs and, once completed, 800 permanent jobs. “Queens wants and needs these jobs,” Speller said.

The company predicts that the state will receive at least $300 million annually in revenue generated from the casino, surely music to the ears of the calvacade of state officials that were present.

Genting has said the first phase of the project, which would include some 1,600 VLTs, will be open to the public approximately six months after the first shovel hits the ground. That means residents of south Queens and beyond could be gambling at Aqueduct by late March or early April. Genting expects the full complement of electronic gaming machines to be up and running about a year after construction starts on the project, which should be finished 18 months later.

Once the facility is complete, it will consist of a 93,000-square-foot gaming area on the first floor and a 42,500-square-foot gaming area on the second floor, an entrance with a three-story atrium and water feature, and a 2,200-car-parking facility, with valet service also available. The company is also constructing an enclosed walkway connecting the casino to the Aqueduct A train stop, so those who travel by subway won’t have to brave inclement weather conditions.
_____________________________________


http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?n...d=574908&rfi=6
With casino on the way, what of the flea market?



by Bryan Yurcan and Lisa A. Fraser,
11/04/2010

Quote:
Amidst all the hoopla over the gaming and entertainment facility that Asian casino giant Genting is going to construct at the racetrack, known as Resorts World New York, little has been said about the fate of New York City’s largest flea market, which operates on Tuesdays and weekends from April through December.

“Nobody tells us anything about it,” said Yvonne Kissoon, one of the protesters standing outside the track’s front gate.

The protester said she hoped some of the politicians at the groundbreaking event would stop and talk to the vendors, but that none had.

The flea market’s operator, Long Island-based Plain N Fancy Shows Inc., has a month-to-month lease, and Kissoon says neither that company nor Genting has told vendors whether or not the flea market will continue once the casino opens.

“Maybe they will plan to close the market,” said Aftab Hussein, who has worked as a vendor there for more than 10 years selling men’s clothing. “But we want them to leave some space for the market so everybody can survive.”

It’s the only way the Flushing resident makes a living, and if the flea market dies, Hussein said, he is not sure where his next employment will come from. “This market has been around over 35 years, everybody in New York knows this place,” Hussein said, noting that he has had customers from as far away as Maryland.

_________________________________


http://www.harnesslink.com/www/Article.cgi?ID=85176
Codey continues fight for Meadowlands casino

Harnesslink Admin
10-Nov-2010

Quote:
"It's good that we're working on some items, but all of this doesn't fix the problems until we are allowed to have slot machines at the tracks," Codey was quoted as saying inthe Asbury Park Press. "States near us are racking up millions and millions of dollars -- even billions, when Aqueduct opens its casino -- from slots at their racetracks."

Codey...noted that countless New Jersey dollars would flow over the Hudson River to Aqueduct Racetrack, where ground has been broken for a $380 million racino that will be home to 4,000 video lottery terminals.

Codey told the Senate panel that citizens of New Jersey "will flock to Aqueduct like you can't believe. Eight hundred million dollars (which is what some estimate would flow to New Jersey coffers if a Meadowlands racino was opened) will walk over the bridges to Delaware, New York and Pennsylvania. That's sad."
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Old Posted Dec 4, 2010, 1:34 PM
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http://www.queenstribune.com/deadlin...ceToLeave.html
Aqueduct Flea Market Given Notice To Leave



By DOMENICK RAFTER

Quote:
The Aqueduct Flea Market, which has been a staple in the north parking lot of Aqueduct Racetrack for decades, will shut down after the holiday season because of construction of the new Resorts World New York casino, according to a statement released by Resorts World New York on Nov. 22.

“Having heard from the vendors that they wanted an answer quickly in order to make their future plans, Resorts World New York expedited its review process,” the statement read. “Since the Aqueduct facility will be a construction site for several months, the Division of the Lottery determined that the continued presence of the flea market would raise safety concerns, in addition to being incompatible with the future use of the property.

“As a result, we have informed the Aqueduct flea market operator, Plain & Fancy Shows, Inc., that the contract permitting the operation of a flea market at Aqueduct will not be renewed after the contract’s Dec. 21, 2010 expiration date, although the market will be allowed to operate through the holidays, until Dec. 31, 2010,” the statement continued.

Resorts World said any future retail activity on the site would fall under the purview of the Division of the Lottery, which would need to approve and regulate any further retail activity on the site.

Borough President Helen Marshall has been involved in finding an alternate site for the vendors, when their future was in doubt in recent months. Dan Andrews, spokesman for the borough president, said sites such as Belmont Racetrack and Citi Field were being considered, but in light of Monday’s statement, finding an alternate site, Andrews said, would be a “heavy lift.”

“We encourage [the vendors] to reach out to the Dept. of Parks and see if they can help locate a site,” he said.

Andrews said Marshall wanted the Division of the Lottery to explain its reasons in writing.
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Old Posted Feb 15, 2011, 3:48 PM
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http://www.drf.com/news/horses-stabl...o-construction

Horses stabled at Aqueduct move out to speed up casino construction

By David Grening
02/11/2011

Quote:
In an effort to expedite the construction of the casino at Aqueduct, the New York Racing Association will close the Big A’s backstretch for seven weeks and horses stabled there will be moved to Belmont Park to train. Racing at Aqueduct will not be interrupted.

The approximately 350 horses stabled at Aqueduct will begin moving to Belmont on Monday and the plan is to have all the horses transferred to Belmont by Friday, according to NYRA officials. It is expected that the horses will be permitted back at Aqueduct beginning April 4. There are currently only 1,200 horses stabled at Belmont, which has a capacity for more than 2,000.

Without horses training over Aqueduct’s inner track in the morning, construction can now take place uninterrupted until post time on race days.


First post is 12:30 p.m. Eastern. Previously, construction stopped during training hours, 5:30 to 9 a.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays; 5:30 to 9:45 a.m. on Sundays. Training had been eliminated on Mondays.

Construction of the casino – which will house 4,500 slot machines and be known as Resorts World New York – has hit some delays, first in the permit process and then with asbestos abatement.

Initially, Genting New York, the company in charge of building the casino, had hoped to open part of the casino in May. More than likely, the casino won’t be ready to open until late summer.

According to Hal Handel, NYRA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Genting will soon begin doing some structural steel reinforcement work outside, which will include heavy machinery and could create a significant amount of noise. In addition, construction crews are still in the midst of dismantling the Aqueduct grandstand.


“Really, everything they accomplish after the next two months is based on how much they get done in the next two months,’’ Handel said Friday. “Their construction company said to us they thought this could speed the whole process up as much as four to eight weeks.’’

Handel said that management was “very appreciative’’ that the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, headed by president trainer Rick Violette, agreed to the move. Violette, who has a 35-horse string stabled at Aqueduct, noted that it was an inconvenience, but a necessary one.

“The horsemen agree that the earlier we get this open the better things are going to be,’’ Violette said. “Every week that goes by costs purses a million to a million and a half dollars. This could move things up by as much as a month, so that’s a lot of money. For the greater good, the horsemen agreed to do it.’’

Other horsemen with large outfits stabled at Aqueduct include Richard Dutrow Jr., Rudy Rodriguez, Gary Contessa, and David Jacobson.

In addition to the 350 horses that have to move, approximately 120 to 150 employees who live on the Aqueduct backstretch will be transferred to Belmont.

Genting is picking up the costs of transporting and bedding down the horses.

While the backstretch is empty, NYRA also will do some much-needed works on the barns and dorms.
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Old Posted Feb 15, 2011, 11:15 PM
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Does anyone have picture updates for this? Or has there been no construction...
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Old Posted Feb 16, 2011, 2:56 PM
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Originally Posted by patriotizzy View Post
Does anyone have picture updates for this? Or has there been no construction...
I haven't seen any photos yet...(but here's some rubble...http://www.flickr.com/photos/nyhorse...n/photostream/)


Quote:
According to Hal Handel, NYRA’s executive vice president and chief operating officer, Genting will soon begin doing some structural steel reinforcement work outside, which will include heavy machinery and could create a significant amount of noise. In addition, construction crews are still in the midst of dismantling the Aqueduct grandstand.

Some renderings from GNYLECET













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Old Posted Feb 16, 2011, 3:12 PM
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A little search reveals more work...

http://www.rwnewyork.com/construction/index.htm



























Another rendering and location:






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Last edited by NYguy; Feb 16, 2011 at 3:25 PM.
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