Two 1,000-slot locations planned
As New York prepares for three new casino resorts in the state, officials on Long Island are thinking smaller?and sooner.
The three new casinos, which were recommended by the state’s casino siting panel and must also pass muster with gaming commissioners, may not open for several years. In the meantime, two off-track betting organizations are planning new electronic slot parlors in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. will finance one of the two gambling halls, reports the New York Times. It will include 1,000 slot machines as well as electronic baccarat and roulette. It is expected to open by the end of 2015. The OTB says the slot parlor will generate about $150 million in net revenue.
“We’re probably talking $19 million to $20 million going to the county each year, if that $150 million number is accurate,” Nassau OTB President Joseph Cairo told the Times.
The Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp. plans an 80,000 square-foot slot parlor with 1,000 machines along with bars and restaurants. It will be built on the site of a onetime cineplex in the community of Medford. Its operating partner is Delaware North.
“We’re looking to get a shovel in the ground as soon as we can,” said Philip Nolan, president of Suffolk OTB.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s administration approved new slot parlors on Long Island to win the support of state Senator Dean G. Skelos for the larger casino reports, according to Senator John Bonacic.
“Cuomo needed Skelos,” said Bonacic, chairman of the committee on racing, wagering and gaming. “I happen to think that the OTB business is a thing of the past.”
