- New York State home of the lying money obsessed crazy politicians who pass laws such as NY PML Sec 105 which would not pass scrutiny in an Opinion by the New York Attorney General. No politician in New York State may credibly complain about cash flow without asking the Attorney General for a Free Opinion. He/she need not bet but simply respect the rights of people to do as they please secured by NY Const. Art. 1, Sec. 3.
Nassau OTB working to settle $4.5M case - Newsday
Oct 18, 2011 – Updated: October 19, 2011 10:17 AM By YANCEY ROY yancey.roy@newsday.Open On 1st Palm Sunday, Otb Rakes In $2m - New York Daily News
articles.nydailynews.com/.../18220335_1_racing-and-wagering-boar...Cached
Open On 1st Palm Sunday, Otb Rakes In $2m. BY JERRY BOSSERT DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER. Monday, April 14, 2003. New York City Off-Track Betting ...§ 105. Supplementary regulatory powers of the board. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of law, the board through its rules and regulations or in allotting dates for racing or in licensing race meetings at which pari-mutuel betting is permitted shall be empowered to: (i) permit racing at which pari-mutuel betting is conducted on any or all dates from the first day of January through the thirty-first day of December, inclusive of Sundays but exclusive of December twenty-fifth and Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday; and (ii) fix minimum and maximum charges for admission at any race meeting.
Gamblers Swarm Aqueduct
By SHELLY BANJO
Not everyone got lucky Friday outside the newly opened Aqueduct racetrack casino.By midafternoon of its opening day, a mile-long line snaked around the Resorts World Casino New York City in Queens as the city's first racino hit its 5,000-person capacity. After standing in line for hours, some of the impatient gamblers grumbled, pushed and shouted at police officers. Some began to turn away.
"I'm getting in my car and going to Yonkers," said Joy Tracy, who came from Roosevelt on Long Island for the casino's debut. "This is ridiculous; we've already waited so long for this to open, they should have just opened the whole thing when it was ready."
The racino on Friday opened its main gaming floor, the Times Square, with nearly 2,500 slot machines and electronic table games such as roulette and craps, as well as a handful of restaurants and bars. Its other two floors, which will house the 5th Avenue and the Crockfords gaming floors, as well as the 130,000-square-foot Central Park Events center, won't open until this winter.
The Ozone Park project will employ more than 1,350 at the casino and 1,400 construction workers.
"We'd love to let everyone in but we're at capacity and at this point safety is the most important thing," said Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the casino. "We're open every day from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m., so there will be plenty of time for everyone."
The casino estimated that 20,000 people showed up for opening day Friday.
Others felt like they hit the jackpot just by getting inside. Shrieking and singing along to what seemed like a '90s soundtrack, one man waved around $20 bills while others snapped pictures of the racino's "Light of Nations" sculpture, made up of 193 hand-blown glass bulbs that hung from the entranceway.
Some New Yorkers have been waiting for years for a casino to open at the Aqueduct: The state Legislature authorized gambling there in 2001 but the project was plagued by political squabbles, legal gridlock and allegations of contract-rigging.
Many local gamblers said they were eager to try their luck closer to home than Atlantic City, Connecticut's Foxwoods Resort Casino or Empire City at Yonkers Raceway. The racino, which will be accessible via subway and bus, offered instant upgrades to gamblers with preferred cards from other casinos.
"It's a double-edged sword—it's a good thing to be just a 20-minute train ride away, but it also could be a very bad thing," said Sandra Quarles, from Bushwick, Brooklyn.
Ms. Quarles, who is 55 years old, said she walked around the casino for a few minutes and then darted to "Cougarlicious," a slot machine where "older women all chase the same hot guy," she said. "I'm not a cougar; it's just so fun."
Cougarlicious players tried to snag kisses from "Nate the Bait" while matching symbols like motel-room keys and lipstick-kissed matchbooks. Other popular games included the "Sex and the City," "Geisha" and "Wall Street Winners" slots, as well as electronic table games where robotic dealers dealt the hands and attractive women on television screens called the shots.
While the opening day had its share of missteps—long lines to get in, dozens of frozen or broken machines and frazzled computer systems that frustrated patrons—many of the gamers said the city's newest attraction was worth the wait.
"I've been here 20 minutes and I've already won $120," said Michael Ettinger, a carpenter from Bayside who said he had worked on the casino for the past five months. "This is the best thing that's ever happened to Queens—a casino in New York City was a long time coming."
Write to Shelly Banjo at shelly.banjo@wsj.com