^ No, no. The vote is to allow full legalized gambling, which Genting would like to have here. As is now, they are simply going to expand the "Racino" when they build the convention center.
http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article...TATE/302129973
Aqueduct hits jackpot in Ozone Park
Genting strikes gold with Queens casino. Just wait for that convention center.
By Lisa Fickenscher
February 12, 2012
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Resorts World Casino in southeastern Queens was buzzing with activity on a recent Friday—and it was only 11 a.m. With another 17 hours to go before closing time, an energetic Motown band was setting up to perform for the afternoon while a steady stream of charter buses delivered throngs of people from Chinatown, downtown Brooklyn and Long Island. Resorts World Casino tapped into a gold mine when it opened three months ago, attracting an average of 20,000 locals every day. It has been profitable from day one. But Genting Americas, the Malaysian firm that owns the casino, has its eye on an even bigger prize, and is proposing to transform this drab parcel of land, located 14 miles outside Manhattan, into a destination like no other in the city.
From November through January, it generated nearly $140 million in gambling revenues and was allowed to keep more than $32 million, according to the New York State Lottery, which owns Resorts World's 5,000 electronic video lottery terminals. Genting would like to increase the number of slot machines, but it is capped at the moment by the lottery.
Locals, from hard-core gamblers to those simply looking for entertainment, have embraced the racino. “I come here now one to three times a week,” said Regina Recchio, who lives in nearby Valley Stream, L.I. “On New Year's Eve, my husband and I were here for 12 hours.”
Its closest rival, Empire City Casino at Yonkers Raceway, knows only too well about people like Ms. Recchio. Since the racino opened in South Ozone Park, Empire City has watched its growth disappear. “Our numbers are flat,” said Tim Rooney Jr., whose family owns the racino in Yonkers. “I'm envious of how quickly they built up a customer base.”
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http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article.../SUB/302199979
Unhappy convention exhibitors grill Genting
Trade show industry feels left out of discussions over a new Queens center.
By Lisa Fickenscher
February 19, 2012
Quote:
Genting Americas is off to a rocky start with the trade show industry—the potential clients of the gigantic $4 billion convention center the company hopes to build in Ozone Park, Queens. More than 100 executives came to hear what Genting had to say at a meeting last week at the InterContinental New York Barclay Hotel, sponsored by the Center for Exhibition Industry Research. “This is my first approach to you folks,” said Christian Goode, senior vice president of development for Genting. “This project got fast-tracked by New York state, and I apologize we are reaching out at this forum for the first time.”
These closed-door negotiations, however, have not endeared Genting—or the governor, for that matter—to the trade show industry, which feels left out of discussions that directly affect its future. “I hope that things are done the right way and not for the sake of gambling or for politics,” Ken McAvoy, senior vice president of Reed Exhibitions, said to Mr. Goode. Reed produced 500 events last year in 39 countries, including the annual New York Comic Con and International Restaurant & Foodservice Show at the Javits Center.
Mr. McAvoy was more pointed in his comments on the Aqueduct project: “I'm not sure the location is correct or the size is correct.” Others expressed concern about Genting's motives for building the convention center. “Where is [your] priority?” asked Mark Schienberg, president of the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association, which produces the annual New York International Auto Show at Javits. Everyone talks about how no public money is being used to build the convention center, he added, but “this industry is at risk if it doesn't work out.”
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NEW YORK is Back!
“Office buildings are our factories – whether for tech, creative or traditional industries we must continue to grow our modern factories to create new jobs,” said United States Senator Chuck Schumer.
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