Queens casino touts union ties in ad push as mobile sports betting bill snakes its way through legislative process
Resorts World Casino New York City in Queens, New York is pictured on Feb. 5, 2018. (Gardiner Anderson/for New York Daily News)
ALBANY — Gambling is still a good bet, according to casino workers and some lawmakers.
A Queens casino is taking time to tout it union ties amid recent talks of expanding full-fledged gambling parlors across the state and a bill that could bring mobile sports betting to New York cleared one Senate committee and was sent to another,
Resorts World NYC will be running ads on television and digital platforms in the coming days highlighting its strong relationship with the Hotel Trades Council. The 30-second spots feature workers praising the union, their jobs and the opportunities the two have afforded them.
“We are extremely proud that since opening in 2011, Resorts World has had a rock-solid relationship with the New York Hotel Trades Council that has given us the ability to partner with them to create hundreds of good jobs that not only benefit the casino, but the surrounding Queens community and the city as a whole," Michael Levoff, senior vice president of public affairs for Genting Group.
The ad push comes weeks after a last ditch effort to convince lawmakers to speed up a timetable for casino gaming in the five boroughs, which is currently not set to begin until 2023. One of the companies hoping to get in on the action in the Empire State was the historically anti-union Sands.
Meanwhile, a controversial bill that could bring mobile sports betting to the Empire State got a boost on Monday.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Joe Addabbo (D-Queens), would permit upstate casinos to run web-based sports books. It was approved by the Senate Racing and Wagering Committee and is headed to the Senate Finance Committee following a public hearing last week.
Addabbo said he wants to get the measure passed by the end of the sessions so New York can compete with neighboring New Jersey, where mobile sports betting was approved earlier this year, but cautioned that the bill still needs work.
“The way I see it, this is a puzzle that the pieces are still missing,” Addabbo said. “We need to move forward today in order to keep this momentum going, but the bottom line is this may not be the last version of the bill."
The bill would allow the state’s four upstate casinos, and those run by Native American tribes, to host servers supporting internet-based sports betting. Racetracks, racinos, including Resort World and Yonkers’ Empire City Casino, as well as off-track betting parlors are not included in the latest version of the bill.
Sen. Daphne Jordan (R-Saratoga), whose district includes Saratoga Casino Hotel and Track, voted to advance the bill with reservations, saying she would like all gambling sites to be included.
“To say you can help them later, I’m just not sure how because what share is left for them at that point when everything is up and running,” she said.
State Gaming Commission executive director Robert Williams, who did not attend the public hearing last Thursday, testified before the committee, noting that Gov. Cuomo’s reservations and constitutional concerns about mobile sports betting remain.
“I don’t think we’ve resolved those yet, but it is something that I know from an internal standpoint we’re examining the bill, taking a look at the new bill that was just introduced I think last week and seeing how those relate and whether those help address any of the concerns that we may have,” he said.
Cuomo has said repeatedly he believes a constitutional amendment is necessary in order for the state to accept wagers through mobile platforms.
No comments:
Post a Comment