If all goes well, the planned racino at Aqueduct might sooner or later become a casino.
For now, when it opens on Oct. 1, the Resorts World New York casino have only video lottery terminals (VLTs) for its patrons to play.
But Genting, the casino’s owner, wants to incorporate a Las Vegas-style casino with table games for the establishment’s gamblers. Genting has begun lobbying state officials to permit table games at its soon-to-be-opened Aqueduct casino facility. According to media reports, Genting is spending $1 million a year with lobbyists in Albany in this effort.
“We have table games in the surrounding three states (New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania),” Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York, said during a State Senate Racing Committee hearing on February 7 of this year.
The committee is considering a proposal for a constitutional amendment to permit table games. Currently, state legislation only authorizes the Aqueduct casino to have VLTs, so a constitutional amendment would be required for the casino to have table games
Senator Addabbo and Assemblyman Mike Miller welcome the prospect of table games.
