The only horse left in the race to win the multimillion dollar Aqueduct contract has revealed its ambitious design for the racetrack -- a 400,000-square-foot space that includes a high-end restaurant, an event center and even a stage for scantily clad showgirls.
The plans from Genting New York -- the American arm of a megabucks Asian gaming conglomerate -- call for an upscale Chinese restaurant and a football-field-sized space for social functions and corporate events.
Visitors will also get an eyeful of dancing showgirls while they hit the video slots, thanks to a stage set up behind the machines. The company claims it will be prepared to open the new racino -- featuring 4,500 video slot machines -- a mere six months after getting the OK from the state.
The plans submitted as part of the bid -- the only one left after Penn National and the SL Green-Hard Rock partnership were disqualified for not following competition rules -- also include a food court with 450 seats, an outdoor terrace and a 2,200-car parking garage.
The Asian gambling giant is one of the largest casino companies in the world, but has a pretty puny presence in the US.
It's hoping that Aqueduct will change that -- if it comes out on top of what has become one of the most bedeviled bidding wars ever.
Aqueduct Entertainment Group, the consortium that won the previous round of bidding despite being deemed "unlicensable," is now being probed following accusations that it rigged the procedure.
If Genting's bid comes up snake eyes, the state will have to start the entire process over, further delaying the already decade-old uphill battle.
