Resorts World Casino New York Announces Near-50% Increase in Number of Permanent Jobs

Facility will employ 1,150 permanent workers, 350 more than originally anticipated; career listings and vendor proposals for new casino to be updated weekly at www.rwnewyork.com

In an effort to enhance the overall experience at Resorts World Casino New York, the company will hire a staff of 1,150 permanent workers; a near-50% increase from original estimates, officials announced today.

“We want to bring quality jobs to Queens and produce a top-flight facility – two goals that go hand-in-hand,” said Michael Speller, President of Resorts World Casino New York. “We saw the potential to enhance aspects of our facility and the best way to do that is by creating a more robust workforce. With additional staff comes superior customer service and an overall better experience for our guests at Resorts World. Additionally, more positions mean more job opportunities for local residents looking for work. This is a big step in our goal to help revitalize the Queens economy.”

The bulk of the additional 350 employees will work in the facility’s food and beverage, customer service and security departments.

“To be clear, we are hiring locally, first,” said Kevin Bogle, Vice President of Human Resources at Resorts World Casino New York. “We are not only hiring directly from the community, but are also working hand-in-hand with local employment centers to help us identify local candidates who we might not otherwise reach on our own. Our goal is to create a facility where customers will be hosted by a knowledgeable and attentive staff in an environment that is welcoming and safe. We have decided that bringing more people from the local neighborhoods aboard is the best way to accomplish this goal.”

Last week, Resorts World Casino New York officially launched the hiring process for permanent positions at the facility, announcing that candidates from the local community will be hired first. This announcement marked the first phase of staffing Resorts World in such fields as entertainment, hospitality, security and food services.

Through its extensive outreach efforts, Resorts World is committed to enlisting a diverse staff and awarding vendor contracts to local Minority Women-Owned Businesses (MWBEs). Resorts World recently announced that minority and/or female workers compose 54% of the project’s construction workforce. Additionally, the percentage of MWBE-certified subcontractors and suppliers working under construction manager Tutor Perini now stands at 25% of total contracts awarded to date. Tutor Perini has already awarded nearly $50 million in sub-contracts to MWBEs.

Job applications and vendor proposals may be submitted through the ‘careers’ and ‘vendor forums’ sections of Resorts World’s website, www.rwnewyork.com.

By creating an expansive outreach network that fosters community participation, Resorts World Casino New York has developed a strategic approach toward recruiting the most talented workforce in Queens and entire New York City metropolitan area. In partnering with community-based organizations, placing advertisements in local publications and hosting on-site job fairs, Resorts World Casino New York will continue to build a dynamic workforce ready to meet the needs of its customers and the community.

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Founded in 1965, Genting is a global entertainment and tourism company operating in Asia, Europe, North America and on all four oceans through the Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruises brands. The Genting Group has more than 58,000 employees.

Resorts World Casino New York Officially Begins Hiring Permanent Employees – Search to Focus On South Queens Neighborhoods

Career listings and vendor proposals for new casino listed at www.rwnewyork.com; more opportunities to be added weekly

Resorts World Casino New York has officially launched the hiring process for permanent positions at the facility, and every effort will be made to hire from within the local community, officials announced today.

Job applications and vendor proposals may be submitted through the ‘careers’ and ‘vendor forums’ sections of Resorts World’s website,www.rwnewyork.com

“We are very excited to officially start staffing Resorts World,” said Michael Speller, President of Resorts World Casino New York. “This project is not just about bringing jobs to Queens; it’s about creating careers and forming relationships with the local community. Our goal is to build a local, diverse and hardworking family of Resorts World employees that will move up within our company. With this announcement, I am very excited to start the process of building that family.”

This announcement marks the official beginning phase of hiring the more than 900 workers expected to permanently staff Resorts World in such fields as entertainment, hospitality, security and food services. Through its extensive outreach efforts, Resorts World is committed to enlisting a diverse staff and awarding vendor contracts to local Minority Women-Owned Businesses (MWBEs).

“With so many Queens neighborhoods plagued by high levels of unemployment, Resorts World’s permanent staffing outreach could not be more timely,” said Harry Wells, Director of York College’s Small Business Development Center. “There are some terrific opportunities at Resorts World out there for Queens residents and local businesses looking for work. Few employers offer so many job and vendor possibilities in such a wide range of fields, and even fewer are as committed to supporting local MWBEs as is Resorts World; in fact, three of the MWBEs that I work with have already been subcontracted for the project. I look forward to continuing to work with Resorts World to identify even more local establishments, MWBEs and careers services centers to meet its needs for commodities, goods and services at the new facility.”

Resorts World recently announced that minority and/or female workers compose 54% of the project’s construction workforce. Additionally, the percentage of MWBE-certified subcontractors and suppliers working under construction manager Tutor Perini now stands at 33% of total contracts awarded to date. So far, Tutor Perini has awarded nearly $50 million in sub-contracts to MWBEs.

“For four months we have been working with employment services centers to prepare for today,” said Kevin Bogle, Vice President of Human Resources at Resorts World Casino New York. “We are a company that is committed to empowering the local community and hiring from within the local area. That's what we have been doing in the construction phase of this project, and that's what we will continue to do as we take this critical step in preparing Resorts World to open for business.”

By creating an expansive outreach network that fosters community participation, Resorts World Casino New York has developed a strategic approach toward recruiting the most talented workforce in the Queens and New York City areas. In partnering with community-based organizations, placing advertisements in local publications and hosting on-site job fairs, Resorts World Casino New York will continue to build a dynamic workforce ready to meet the needs of its customers and the community.

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Founded in 1965, Genting is a global entertainment and tourism company operating in Asia, Europe, North America and on all four oceans through the Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruises brands. The Genting Group has more than 58,000 employees.

Resorts World New York Condenses Schedule to Ensure Dynamic Late Summer 2011 Opening & Full Completion of Facility by End of Year

Addition of almost 1,000 Video Lottery Terminals to stage 1 opening; Main entry, Porte Cochere, International Buffet; and Parking Garage to now be included in first stage of opening;

Resorts World New York today announced a condensed opening schedule that will allow the new casino at Aqueduct Raceway to open its doors with far more components in place months earlier than expected.

Under the schedule, 2,500 Video Lottery Terminals will be operational – rather than the 1,600 originally slated – when the casino opens in the late Summer.

“This accelerated schedule will allow for not only a more robust opening and better customer experience with more food and beverage facilities than previously planned, but the completion of the facility – including the operation of all 4,525 Video Lottery Terminals -- by the end of 2011, three months ahead of schedule,” said Mike Speller, President of Resorts World New York Casino.

With the accelerated schedule – which will now take place in two phases, rather than three – not only will more VLTs be operational when the first stage launches, but the main entry, the porte cochere, the international buffet and the parking garage will be part of the initial opening, as well.

Other elements opening in phase 1 will include:

• A seven-outlet food court
• The 360 Bar and entertainment space
• A grab-and-go quick food outlet

Elements originally slated for phase three including the building of a skybridge connecting the “A” train station to the casino entrance will now be completed by the end of 2011, rather than the Spring of 2012.

Other elements opening in stage 2 include:

• The remaining 2,000 VLTs
• Two fine dining restaurants, Genting Palace and RW Prime
• An additional grab-and-go quick food outlet.
• Colony lounge and the VIP Crockfords Casino
• Another Bar with views of our first floor entertainment bar

Once fully operational, Resorts World New York is expected to permanently employ about 1,000 workers in the entertainment, hospitality, security and food-service fields.

Feds Reject Plan for Full-Blown N.Y. Casino by Tom Precious - BloodHorse.com

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New York racetrack casinos lost a major potential competitor Feb. 18 after federal officials rejected a plan for a sprawling, full-blown casino just 90 miles from Manhattan.

The U.S. Department of Interior formally ended a bid for an off-reservation casino to be built in the southern Catskills resort region by the Stockbridge-Munsee Community Band of Mohicans.


The Wisconsin-based tribe struck a deal late last fall in the final weeks of the outgoing administration of former New York Governor David Paterson for the casino rights in return for settling a long-standing land claims lawsuit by the tribe for what it maintains is ancestral land in central New York.


Racetrack-based casinos, which in New York can offer video lottery terminals, expressed concerns that they could not compete with the massive casino, complete with table games, that the Mohicans were proposing to build not far from the Monticello harness racetrack.


Genting New York, the developer of the long-stalled casino at Aqueduct racetrack that is expected to open this summer, has gone so far as to say it would be scaling back some plans for the new facility as a result of the competition from the proposed Catskills casino. Officials at racinos from Yonkers to Saratoga Springs openly worried about business dropping off by a Catskills casino.


The bid by the Wisconsin tribe was also opposed by New York Indian tribes, which urged the federal regulators to reject the out-of-state Indian bid for what would have been a lucrative casino.


"By rejecting this ill-conceived compact, the Department of Interior has allowed New York State to go back to the drawing board and put together a gaming policy that makes sense,'' said the New York Gaming Association, a group representing New York racetrack casinos.


The tracks say they should be allowed to operate full-scale casinos at their facilities.


"We are extremely pleased with DOI's decision and look forward to working with Gov. (Andrew) Cuomo and the state Legislature to develop a gaming policy that maximizes revenue, creates jobs and keeps the racetrack casino economic engine churning,'' the group said.

Aqueduct Firm Hires Ozone Park Groups by Anna Gustafson - Queens Chronicle -

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The general contractor for the new Aqueduct racino in South Ozone Park awarded three construction bids totaling more than $51 million to groups from Ozone Park, Resort World New York said this week.

“Queens needs revenue, and for this reason, we are fully committed to awarding construction bids to as many local businesses as possible,” Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York, said in a prepared statement. “This casino will fill two crucial needs. Not only will Resorts World New York create a tremendous facility that will generate considerable revenue for Ozone Park, New York City and New York state, but the casino will also help revitalize and ultimately stabilize Queens’ businesses and economy.”

Speller said they have focused on hiring locally, including bringing jobs to businesses owned by minorities and women, to build what is now known as the Resorts World New York racetrack casino.

Tutor Perini, the general contractor, awarded a $25.1 million contract to WDF Inc. to provide heating, ventilation and air-conditoning work; a $19.2 million contract to Five Star Electric; and $6.8 million to WDF for plumbing.

“We are just so excited that Resorts World New York is following through on its promises to Ozone Park businesses,” said Larry Roman, chairman and CEO of WDF Inc. “At at time when Queens so desperately needs revenue, it is a blessing to have such a great project for so many of our local businesses to work on. Ozone Park is home to some of the finest construction businesses in the world, and for that reason I have no doubt that Resorts World New York is going to be a first-class facility that will benefit the entire region.”

The announcement comes about a week after Tutor Perini announced that more than one-third of their subcontractors are certified as a Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprise.

Tutor Perini has so far awarded $135 million to subcontractors in the greater New York City area.

The gaming facility at the race track, the city’s first casino slated to open its doors this summer, is expected to employ more than 900 people and generate at least $300 million in annual state revenue, according to officials with franchise operator Genting New York.

There are more than several hundred people now working at the site. The first phase of the three-stage project will include 1,600 video lottery terminals and a central bar.

New York Racetrack Casinos Issue Statement on Rejection of Catskill Compact

The New York Gaming Association, representing racetrack casinos in New York, today issued the following statement about the Department of Interior’s rejection of a proposed casino in Sullivan County.

“By rejecting this ill-conceived compact, the Department of Interior has allowed New York State to go back to the drawing board and put together a gaming policy that makes sense. That new policy will hopefully capitalize on existing resources like our racetrack casinos, which already put more than $1 billion per year in tax revenue toward state coffers and could help bolster our sagging economy even further if allowed to operate full-scale casinos.

“We are extremely pleased with DOI’s decision and look forward to working with Gov. Cuomo and the state Legislature to develop a gaming policy that maximizes revenue, creates jobs and keeps the racetrack casino economic engine churning.”

Resorts World New York Awards Three Massive Construction Bids to Local Queens Subcontractors

Ozone Park subcontractors receive more than $50 million in new construction bids to build casino at Resorts World New York

Keeping with its stated commitment to “hire locally,” Tutor Perini, the general contractor for Resorts World New York, announced today that it has awarded three additional construction bids¾exceeding $51 million in total¾to local Ozone Park subcontractors for the construction of the new casino at Aqueduct Racetrack

To date, Tutor Perini has awarded nearly $135 million to greater-New York City subcontractors.

“Queens needs revenue, and for this reason, we are fully committed to awarding construction bids to as many local businesses as possible,” said Michael Speller, President of Resorts World New York. “This casino will fill two crucial needs. Not only will Resorts World New York create a tremendous facility that will generate considerable revenue for Ozone Park, New York City and New York State, but the casino will also help revitalize and ultimately stabilize Queens’ businesses and economy. Resorts World is thrilled with the work our subcontractors have done thus far, and certain that once Resorts World New York is completed, it will be a facility that all of Queens will be very proud of.”

The South Ozone Park subcontractors that received the new construction bid packages are Five Star Electric, which was awarded $19.2 million to provide electric work for the project and WDF Inc., which was awarded $6.8 million in one bid for plumbing, and $25.1 million in another to provide HVAC (heating, ventilating and air-conditioning) work.

“We are just so excited that Resorts World New York is following through on its promises to Ozone Park businesses,” said Larry Roman, Chairman and CEO of WDF Inc. 

“At a time when Queens so desperately needs revenue, it is a blessing to have such a great project for so many of our local businesses to work on. Ozone Park is home to some of the finest construction businesses in the world, and for that reason, I have no doubt that Resorts World New York is going to be a first-class facility that will benefit the entire region.”

This announcement comes just days after Tutor Perini announced that more than one in three subcontractors and suppliers hired to construct the new Resorts World New York racetrack casino is a New York State certified Minority or Women Owned Business Enterprise (MWBE).

Once fully operational, Resorts World New York is expected to permanently employ more than 900 workers in the entertainment, hospitality, security and food-service fields, provide $300 million in annual revenue for the state and give New York City its first ever casino.

By creating an expansive outreach network that fosters community participation, Resorts World New York has developed a strategic approach toward recruiting the most talented workforce in the Queens and New York City areas. In partnering with community-based organizations, placing advertisements in local publications and hosting on-site job fairs, Resorts World New York will continue to build a dynamic workforce ready to meet the needs of its customers and the community.

Information on further bid packages and permanent employment will be announced in the coming weeks. To learn more, please visit www.rwnewyork.com.

Founded in 1965, Genting is a global entertainment and tourism company operating in Asia, Europe, North America and on all four oceans through the Norwegian Cruise Line and Star Cruises brands. The Genting Group has more than 58,000 employees.

Tutor Perini Corporation is a leading civil and building construction company offering diversified general contracting and design/build services to private clients and public agencies throughout the world. Tutor Perini has provided construction services since 1894 and has established a strong reputation within various markets by executing large complex projects on time and within budget while adhering to strict quality control measures.

Assembly Member Mike Miller Says No to Casino In Sullivan County

Not all casinos are created equal. As a member of the New York State Assembly Racing and Wagering Committee, it has come to my attention that the Stockbridge-Munsee Native American tribe has submitted a proposal to build a casino in Sullivan County. If this casino is built it will cost the state over $400 million. I will fight this tooth and nail for the good of New York City and New York State.

The race track casino industry raises $1 billion for the State of New York every year. Due to federal entitlements, Native American tribes can open casinos that are exempt from many taxes. These casinos do not pay taxes on table games. They only contribute 25% on slot machines as opposed to the 60-70% collected from Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs). Native American casinos are given advantages that other wagering businesses, including the Aqueduct Racino, do not receive. As it stands, 62 cents of every dollar received from our racinos goes back to the State. 42 cents goes to funding education, 10 cents goes to lottery administration, 9 cents goes to horse racing purses, and 1 cent goes to horse breeding. While our current race track casinos pay 62 cents on the dollar, the Native American casinos pay just 20 cents on the dollar.

If the Stockbridge-Munsee casino is built, the State is projected to lose $407 million dollars. This amounts to a $188 million loss in State education funding, a $127 million loss in horse racing industry support, and the loss of over 900 jobs. This casino would kick the New York State economy while it is already $10 billion down. Our existing race track casinos could not overcome the huge advantage given to the Stockbridge-Munsee Native American Tribe. The construction of this casino would cost jobs, funding to education, and the economic well-being of the State. This plan is bad for New York City, it is bad for New York State and this is why my vote is “no.”

Genting Strategy To Herald New York City Casino by Scott Van Voorhis - GamblingCompliance

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Genting’s ambitious push for a full-scale casino in the heart of New York City could reshape the market for gambling across the Northeast, industry observers say.

Fresh from landing one of the most elusive deals in the US gaming industry, the Malaysian casino giant has signaled it wants to go far beyond simply installing video lottery terminals at the aging Aqueduct racetrack to build a full-scale, top shelf casino.


Genting’s strategy could reap the Asian casino behemoth some handsome rewards, putting it in position to build the first casino in the Big Apple, the largest and wealthiest city in the US.


But it’s not without risks as well. The casino giant has swiftly committed itself to a major build out in a market where a number of potential competitors are also seeking to set up shop.


Still, Genting’s planned New York gambling venue, just by virtue of its almost unmatched location, is likely to shake up the gaming market on the East Coast, biting into the profits of rival casinos from Atlantic City to Connecticut, industry observers say.


“It is definitely going to have an impact on all of the Northeast,’’ said Frank Catania, a former director of the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement and now president of Catania Gaming Consultants. “It’s getting to the point where the proliferation of gaming is cannibalizing everyplace else.’’


For Genting, the timing of the Aqueduct deal could not be better, coming not long after it unveiled an aggressive US expansion plan that featured big bets on seemingly long-shot deals.


Along with the notoriously tricky Aqueduct deal, the casino giant is also backing the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Massachusetts and exploring plans for a tribal casino in the Catskills, a short drive from New York.


But the lightning speed with which it has nailed down a deal to redevelop the aging Queens racetrack has taken gaming industry observers by surprise, with Genting succeeding in matter of weeks where others had spent years fumbling around.


A latecomer to the Aqueduct contest, Genting threw its hat in the ring this spring after the New York Lottery took over the bidding process in the wake of the latest in a long line of development deals gone bad.


The short-lived winner, Aqueduct Entertainment Group, was stripped of the Aqueduct deal in March amid a series of state and federal corruption probes into a selection process dominated by Governor David Paterson and the state’s two top legislative leaders. The winner of a previous round of bidding, Delaware North, failed to come up with a promised, $370m up-front payment.


In fact, the hunt for an Aqueduct developer began nearly a decade ago, with New York lawmakers first authorizing video lottery terminals at the aging and financially struggling racetrack back in 2001.


For its part, Genting faced rival interest from major players who had been circling the Aqueduct deal for months or even years, including MGM, Penn National and Delaware North.


But Genting benefited when it heeded warnings by the New York Lottery not to attempt to renegotiate the terms of the Aqueduct deal set forth by the state authority.


Both Penn National and New York developer SL Green, which had teamed up with the Seminoles’ Hard Rock casino and hotel empire, were disqualified after seeking extensive revisions to the Aqueduct contract put forth by lottery executives.


Genting also submitted an extremely rich upfront payment - $380m, or more than 20 percent higher than the minimum set by the lottery.


“I think they found it very hard to believe that any group could simply live up to the conditions the state had wanted for this,’’ said Bennett Liebman, coordinator of the Racing and Gaming Law Program at Albany Law School and a board member of the New York Racing Association, of Genting’s erstwhile rivals. “They put up a lot of money.’’


Following up on its Aqueduct victory, Genting is now talking up the idea of building a full-fledged casino at Aqueduct.


While Genting, after a few final sign-offs, will have a green light to roll out more than 4,500 video slots, executives with the casino giant have told lawmakers they now want to go all the way and add table games as well.


That, however, is not likely to happen overnight, with such a move needing a series of complicated approvals by the New York Legislature.


Yet it’s a further sign that Genting plans to take full advantage of Aqueduct’s prime, New York City location, observers say. (Roughly 5.6 million people live within ten miles of the track.)


Genting plans have as many as 1,600 video lottery terminals up and running in six months at Aqueduct, with the full complement of 4,500 ready to go within a year.


Initial plans call for transforming the grandstand the old track into a ‘showcase’ that will feature a three-story atrium, restaurants and two floors of video slots. There will also be an enclosed sky-bridge linking up with a nearby subway station and shuttles to pick up gamblers arriving at the nearby John F. Kennedy Airport.


Even without table games, Genting’s giant new New York City gambling hall will cut into profits both to the south in Atlantic City and to the north in Connecticut, home to two of the world’s largest casinos, Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun, observers say.


“If you establish a class facility at Aqueduct, the real losers might be Atlantic City,” said Joe Kelly, a professor of business law at SUNY College Buffalo and a gaming industry expert.


But it is a strategy that is not without some dangers as well, with a number of competitors also eager to break into the market.


Long Island’s Shinnecock tribe is pushing ahead with plans to open a casino in the area and has looked at sites that would encroach on Aqueduct’s territory, including the nearby Belmont racetrack.


There’s also the possibility neighboring New Jersey might opt to put video slots at the Meadowlands, or that New York City’s ailing OTB parlors might be given a green light to install some machines as well, Liebman noted.


Genting’s bidding rivals Penn National and SL Green were concerned enough about potential competitors that both tried to include protective provisions in a potential Aqueduct deal. Both efforts, though, backfired, prompting lottery officials to eject the two companies from the Aqueduct competition.


Still, Genting likely has a big lead on any competitor, with a Shinnecock tribal casino likely years away.


“That is a long way off,” Catania noted.

NYS Senate Hearing on Aqueduct VLT Selection Process with NYS Lottery Chairman and Genting New York - NYS Senate Senate

Video length 1 hr 55 mins

Aqueduct VLT Selection Process with Senator Eric Adams, Senator Joseph Addabbo, and Senator Craig Johnson, appearing before the committee was Gordon Mendicia  the Chairman of New York State Lottery and Genting New York.

The above video is of the proceedings yesterday in Albany regarding Genting New York (GNY).  

GNY appeared before Sen. Eric Adams, the Chairman of the Racing; Wagering Committee.

The part of the presentation at the beginning of the video from Gordon Mendicia the Chairman of Lottery gives a good explanation of the process and how the evaluation took place - it's approximately 30 minutes - it begins at the 8:00 minute mark.

GNY's presentation was quite similar to their presentation to Community Board 10 and the public in July at Aqueduct - Genting's Jay Walker presentation begins at the 40:00 minute mark.

NYRA Tries Same Old Bets - Times Union Albany

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In at least one regard, the "newly constituted" New York Racing Association is a lot like the old NYRA: Both have produced comparable excuses for disregarding the wishes of state regulators.

The old NYRA frequently didn't pay franchise fees under an accounting program the state didn't accept. Nor did it follow procurement rules prescribed by state regulators. It ignored warnings of excessive spending. It committed felony fraud and collapsed into bankruptcy court.

The new NYRA -- with some of the same bosses and board members as the former version -- accepted $105 million in state funds to emerge from bankruptcy court, and agreed to changes. It dropped a suit against the state and turned over deeds to property the state contended it already owned. It said it would cooperate with a franchise oversight board.

Instead, it's taking the franchise board to court. NYRA is suing the state, the oversight board and Laura Anglin, the board's chairperson and the director of the budget, because Anglin planned to honor the Times Union's Freedom of Information Law request for NYRA's 2009 operating budget. (In the interests of full disclosure: I filed the request before Christmas last year.)

The suit is costing the state. Filed in state Supreme Court in Manhattan, it's being defended by Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, who has sought a venue change to Albany. NYRA seeks to block the release of the documents and calls for the state to pick up its legal bill.

NYRA attorney Pasquale Viscusi says the Times Union shouldn't receive the material because NYRA has won court cases previously to protect the content of its contracts and its financial records. NYRA would face a competitive disadvantage if details came out, Viscusi said.

NYRA received a new 25-year franchise to exclusively operate Aqueduct, Belmont Park, and Saratoga last year, agreeing to stronger oversight by the state.

As part of that enhanced scrutiny, Anglin last December called for fuller details in the operating plan. Almost seven months later, the franchise board still hasn't approved the plan. Further, NYRA agreed to provide audited financial reports of its operations by March 31. It has failed to do so. It's excuse: Its auditing firm hasn't been approved by the franchise board, whose members question the bidding process used by NYRA.

Anglin is being sued for siding with records access lawyer Kathy Bennett, who said NYRA should not expect to operate as it has in the past. "Given the level of state oversight and fiscal involvement, the public has a legitimate interest in NYRA's operations," Bennett wrote. "Any court decisions that were rendered during the period of NYRA's previous franchise would not be relevant, given the new arrangement under with NYRA now operates."

James M. Odato can be reached at 454-5083 or by e-mail at jodato@timesunion.com.

Naming of Aqueduct Racino Operator Pushed Back by Paul Post - Thoroughbred Times

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The process of vetting Aqueduct gaming bidders is expected to delay the naming of an operator until after New York’s legislative session ends in late June, state officials said.

That could spell trouble for the New York Racing Association, which said it might run out of operating cash by late 2010 without an infusion of gaming revenue. NYRA President Charles Hayward will discuss this, the upcoming Saratoga Race Course meet, and related issues during an event hosted by Parting Glass Racing tonight in Saratoga Springs, New York.

Six firms are vying for the contract to run Aqueduct’s proposed racino with 4,500 video lottery terminals.

"All bidders will be vetted by the governor's office, the legislature, the New York Lottery, Empire State Development, Office of General Services, and the Division of the Budget," Morgan Hook, a spokesman for New York Governor David Paterson, said Wednesday. "This is a critical part of the process for selecting a bidder and will take multiple weeks."

"Nothing’s going to happen before the end of the legislative session on June 22," said Gary Pretlow (D-Yonkers), chairman of the Assembly Racing, Wagering, and Gaming Committee.

Pretlow made the prediction based on "history; experience with the way things go around here."

Racino construction is expected to take at least one year and probably longer, which means NYRA and other racing stakeholders, such as breeders and horsemen, will not receive a share of VLT revenues until late 2010, and that is if an operator is named this summer. If the selection process drags on, the racino will not open until 2011.

The decision requires three-way approval by the governor, Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith (D-Queens), and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan). Pretlow said he expects Smith and Silver to confer with legislative members before making a decision.

"It’s going to be difficult to figure out which one is the best deal for the state," he said. "I hope they just don’t pick the one that offers the most money to the state. I have not seen any of the proposals yet."

Some parties, such as the group International Racing Management, want bidders to publicly present plans.

"Everyone deserves to hear what these companies would do to attract people back to racing," IRM President Pam Stokes Donehower said.

But Assembly member Audrey Pheffer (D-Queens) said bidders should first prove they have solid financial backing before getting the public excited with extravagant plans.

"The governor’s been burned already," she said.

Last October, Paterson named Delaware North Companies to run Aqueduct’s gaming facility. The organization pledged the state $370-million as an up-front payment, but later said it could not obtain financing by the March 31 deadline. Paterson reopened the bidding process and on May 8 Delaware North submitted new bids along with Penn National Gaming, The Peebles Corporation, SL Green Realty Corporation, Aqueduct Entertainment Group, and Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn.

Paul Post is a New York-based correspondent for THOROUGHBRED TIMES

Aqueduct Bidders Place Their Bets by Stephen Geffon - Queens Chronicle

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Last time there were three bidders vying for the opportunity to develop and run an Aqueduct Casino complex in Ozone Park. Now there are seven.
The current list of bidders ranges from major casino operators to real estate and racing interests and is a veritable who’s who of gambling interests that include Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn.

Just in time for the May 8 application deadline, proposals were submitted by SL Green Realty Corp., Mohegan Sun, Penn National Gaming, Delaware North Companies, Aqueduct Entertainment Group, Peebles Development, LLC, and Development Associates, a subsidiary of Wynn Resorts, Ltd., according to Morgan Hook, Gov. David Paterson’s deputy press secretary.

Last October, Paterson selected Delaware North to develop and operate a 328,000-square-foot video lottery terminal facility at Aqueduct Racetrack. But in mid-March the company announced that it would be unable to secure the financing needed to pay the state the $370 million franchise fee. State officials wasted no time and immediately set out to re-bid the project.

Before returning to the negotiation table, Delaware North forged a partnership with Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, which was New York’s first video gaming facility; the Peebles Corp, the country’s largest African-Amercian real estate development corporation, and McKissack & McKissack, the oldest African-American, women-owned design and construction firm in the United States. The four companies now comprise a group called the Aqueduct Gaming Team.

"We are committed to creating a world-class gaming and entertainment facility at Aqueduct Racetrack, bringing to bear our strong experience and expertise in VLT, gaming, entertainment and hospitality operations,” William Bissett, president of Delaware North, said in a statement. Bissett went on to say it would generate revenue, jobs and economic development for Queens and New York State.

SL Green will be teaming up with Hard Rock Entertainment and investor Jeff Gural, who operates Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs in upstate New York.

Both the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority and Foxwoods Development Corp chose not to bid Friday, informing state officials that they would be open to the idea of managing the facility if the state ultimately decided to build it.

As of press time, Penn National Gaming spokesman Joseph Jaffoni did not respond to a request for comment.

Both the bidders and Paterson’s administration declined to provide details on their financial offers at this time.

Seven Bids Submitted For Aqueduct Casino by Tom Precious BloodHorse.com News

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Trying one more time, the state of New York accepted seven new bids – from major casino operators to real estate and racing interests -- to develop a casino at Aqueduct racetrack, an authority first approved for the facility back in 2001.

After a series of legal, financial, and political delays over the year, Gov. David Paterson is looking at the latest round of offers to help him bring a new rush of money into the state budget, which is precariously balanced on the hopes of an economic turnaround sooner than later.

The list of entities interested in running the casino in one way or the other include a who’s who of gambling interests, including Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn, Penn National Gaming, Delaware North, Mohegan Sun, and others.

The new bids all had a 5 p.m. deadline May 8 – and the bidders, cautious that their competitors could get information on each others’ offers before the clock ran out, stretched things right up to the last minute.

None of the bidders provided immediate financial details on their offers, and the Paterson administration, in a break with past efforts by the state to provide some attempt at transparency, would only provide the names of the bidders.

The bidders include a team led by Delaware North, a Buffalo gambling and entertainment company which last fall had won the rights to develop a 4,500-slot machine casino at Aqueduct. But the tighter credit market found the company scurrying to raise the $370 million offer it made the state -- $120 million more than the nearest bidder. The Paterson administration in March pulled the plug on the Delaware North deal when it could not come up with the cash by March 31.

Delaware North revealed its list of partners, but the governor’s office would not make public any of the other possible partnerships involved in the other six bids, and company officials with those entities could not be immediately reached for comment.

Others vying for the potentially lucrative deal include SL Green Realty Corp., a large Manhattan real estate development company that once had been a partner of Delaware North’s in a previous round of bidding – as part of a group called Empire Racing Associates -- that went nowhere. SL Green recently sued Delaware North in a dispute involving its past business dealings. SL Green’s partners include Hard Rock Entertainment and Jeff Gural, a Manhattan real estate developer and operator of two upstate harness tracks, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs.

There was also some confusion Friday night. The governor’s office said Mohegan Sun, which sought the casino deal last year, had submitted a proposal for the project. But a Connecticut newspaper, the Norwich Bulletin, said the company decided against trying for the project again. Company officials did not immediately respond to an e-mail request for information.

A source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Mohegan Sun did not submit a formal bid, but offered a proposal to the state that included no up-front money for Albany and a proposal to let the state build the facility and Mohegan Sun would run it.

Penn National Gaming is also jumping into the Aqueduct bidding wars. Joseph Jaffoni, a spokesman for the company, declined comment.

A group called Development Associates, identified by the Paterson administration as a subsidiary of Wynn Resorts Ltd., also submitted a plan to run a casino at the track.

Besides Delaware North, Aqueduct Gaming includes Saratoga Gaming and Raceway; the Peebles Corp., the nation’s largest African-American real estate development company, and McKissack & McKissack, billed as the country’s oldest African-American, women-owned design and construction firm.

Adding to the confusion Friday night, though, is word from the Paterson administration that Peeples put in a separate bid beyond the one with Delaware North to run the casino. It is not known if the company has partnered with any other entities.

William Bissett, president of Delaware North’s Gaming & Entertainment division, said the group’s bid would provide "substantial revenue, jobs, and economic development’’ to the state and the Queens neighborhood surrounding Aqueduct.

"Our commitment and dedication to this project are steadfast. We are the best choice for Aqueduct VLT gaming development because of our financial commitment and strong experience in gaming and entertainment development and operations,’’ he said in a statement.

Finally, a mystery entity called Aqueduct Entertainment Group, submitted a bid.

"The franchise will be awarded by joint agreement of the governor, the majority leader of the Senate, and the speaker of the Assembly. The Governor's office and representatives of the majority leader and the speaker expect to evaluate these proposals over the coming weeks and award the franchise once the review has been completed and an agreement among the parties has been reached,’’ Morgan Hook, a Paterson spokesman, said in a statement.

The Aqueduct casino was approved in the weeks after the 2001 terrorist attacks as a way to help bring new revenues to the state. But a series of missteps, first with the New York Racing Association and its legal and financial problems in the past, and then various delays in three different gubernatorial administrations, all contributed to what is only still a proposed casino.

Besides the state, horsemen and breeding funds that will share in a portion of the revenues are anxiously awaiting the opening of the casino.

The new memorandum of understanding is less forgiving than the last round: the winning bidder must pay the full amount of their franchise fee payment within 10 days of the MOU’s approval by the parties. The state would float bonds up to $250 million to help finance the casino, which would be paid back by the winning bidder.

The state has made clear in the MOU that it wants no part in constructing a casino, which would seem to leave Mohegan Sun out of the running.

Deadline Slows Casinos by James M. Odato -- Times Union - Albany NY

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Legal sleuths recently delivered bad news for those eager to enact a constitutional change that would allow commercial casinos in New York.

A bit of research by Bennett Liebman, executive director of the Government Law Center of Albany Law School, and Senate Republican lawyers independently found that lawmakers have been incorrectly saying that an amendment could be on the ballot next November. In fact, the soonest that such a proposal could be on the ballot is 2011, according to these lawyers.

The perception — now being identified as a misconception — is that as long as the Legislature voted this year and next it would be two separately elected bodies in agreement and enough for a ballot issue next fall.

The newly uncovered facts: There must be three months between the initial passage of the amendment and the date of the succeeding general election — meaning the Legislature missed its opportunity by not acting this summer.

"You have to give 90 days' notice," said Sen. John Bonacic, R-Sullivan County, who said he got the briefing a month ago from Senate lawyer Michael Avella. He said the situation was not brought to the attention of advocates and is a surprised.

Advocates theorized that after two budget seasons of bloody state budget cuts, the public would quickly authorize slots and table games to get state revenues and stimulate job growth.

Liebman re-read the law after noting the buzz about a possible first passage during the upcoming Nov. 18 legislative session. "We may have to wait a little longer," Bonacic said.

That's Hospitality

The hotel trades council — another group eager for casino and hotel construction — worked hard on the campaigns of three downstate Senate Democratic candidates, and helped two newcomers defeat Republicans. The council sent 150 union members to work on Joseph Addabbo's run against Sen. Serphin Maltese in Queens, and 20 to staff Brian Foley's contest against Sen. Caesar Trunzo on Long Island. They also loaned Addabbo a union official.

Another 50 hotel unionists worked for James Gennaro in his quest to unseat Sen. Frank Padavan, the Legislature's top gambling foe. The council gave at least $34,500 to the trio. John Turchiano, a spokesman, said the goal is a racino at Belmont and Catskills casinos and hotels.