Liu caves to Cohen's Casino fake park lobby

 

 QNS

A coalition of community groups in Elmhurst, Flushing, Jackson Heights and Corona has criticized State Sen. John Liu for announcing his plans to introduce a parkland alienation bill in the State Senate that brings the $8 billion Metropolitan Park casino project closer to reality.

Liu announced Sunday that he will introduce Senate legislation to reclassify the 50 acres of asphalt parking lot adjacent to Citi Field from public parkland to commercial property—a necessary step for the Metropolitan Park project.

Liu outlined his intention to introduce the parkland alienation legislation after securing commitments from Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International for Flushing Skypark, a pedestrian and cycling bridge that would span Flushing Creek and connect Downtown Flushing and Willets Point.

However, several community groups have criticized Liu for facilitating the Metropolitan Park development, describing the move as a “betrayal” of the local community.

The “FED-UP” coalition, which held a protest against the Metropolitan Park project two days before Liu’s announcement, opposes the development for several reasons. The coalition cites the need for “public parks, community spaces, and low-income housing.” The coalition also contends that the development will raise prices in the neighborhood, forcing long-term residents out of their homes.

The group accused Liu of aligning with lobby groups rather than representing his own constituents.

“Liu is aligning himself with Cohen’s 14 lobbying firms rather than with his constituents. Liu has invited in a billionaire to prey on his own constituents while displacing working people in Flushing and across Queens,” the group said in a release Monday.

The FED-UP coalition features various groups from Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, Corona, and Flushing, including Guardians of Flushing Bay, the Western Queens Community Land Trust, Queens Neighbors United, and Jackson Heights Indivisible.

Guardians of Flushing Bay, for example, is calling on all local residents to lobby their state representatives not to support parkland alienation bills that would facilitate the project. 

 

Meanwhile, the coalition has also criticized Liu for introducing the senate legislation despite State Sen. Jessica Ramos, who represents the district covering the 50-acre parking lot, refusing to do so.

Ramos has regularly refused to introduce a parkland alienation bill in the State Senate and outlined her intention to vote against Liu’s legislation.

“My position has not changed. I cannot support a casino in Corona and am a definitive no on any alienation bill that goes against my neighbors’ wishes,” Ramos said in a statement Monday.

Representatives for Liu said the decision to introduce a parkland alienation bill was based on feedback provided by the local community. They stated that far more local residents supported the project than opposed it. Representatives further noted that all relevant community boards passed supporting resolutions of the project during the ULURP process.

 

Senator Ramos kills Cohen's casino

 

 Queens Chronicle

After more than a year of deliberation, state Sen. Jessica Ramos (D-Jackson Heights) on Tuesday announced that she will not be introducing the legislation necessary to make way for Mets owner Steve Cohen to build a casino next to Citi Field. 

Instead, she is introducing her own plan.

“We’re not in a place to host a casino,” Ramos told New York magazine, which first reported the decision Tuesday morning. “The people who are here, they’re hoping to build generational wealth. And I just don’t see how a casino helps us meet that goal. I mean, it’s literally the opposite. It’s the extraction of the very little wealth we have.”

In a statement, she elaborated, “Whether people rallied for or against Metropolitan Park, I heard the same dreams for Corona. We want investment and opportunity, we are desperate for green space, and recreation for the whole family.

“We disagree on the premise that we have to accept a casino in our backyard as the trade-off. I resent the conditions and the generations of neglect that have made many of us so desperate that we would be willing to settle.”

Since the parking lot at the stadium is legally parkland, in order for anything to be built at the site, the state Legislature must pass parkland alienation legislation allowing the spot to be used for that purpose, be it a casino or otherwise. While Assemblyman Jeff Aubry (D-Corona) had introduced that legislation to back a casino as part of Cohen’s Metropolitan Park plan — which would include a casino, a hotel, 25 acres of green space, a concert hall and a Queens food hall — Ramos had not, and said Tuesday she will not do so. Aubry did not immediately respond to the Chronicle’s request for comment on the matter. 

The senator’s alternative plan, parkland alienation legislation that she introduced Tuesday, essentially includes Cohen’s entire proposal, minus the casino. Instead of 25 acres of green space, she’s calling for 50 acres. 

Ramos’ decision follows several town halls on the issue over the last year and a half, some of which she has hosted and others of which Cohen has. The senator also conducted a poll on the project within her district, which found that 75 percent were opposed to a casino; Cohen’s own poll, meanwhile, showed that 62 percent were in favor of one, with 75 percent backing the plan as a whole.

Throughout the process, Cohen and his chief of staff, Michael Sullivan, have been adamant that the project cannot go forward without a casino, saying there would be no year-round economic driver for the complex without it. But Ramos called that idea into question while speaking with reporters via Zoom Tuesday afternoon. 

“Cohen is worth an estimated $18 billion-plus, to my estimation, and so math would dictate that a casino would not be necessary to build out any part of the remaining project,” the senator said. “My hope is that he sees that people are counting on him to do the right thing here. He will remain our neighbor as long as he is the owner of the Mets, and he can gain trust and good public will by being responsive to our neighbors’ desires.”

When the Chronicle asked Aubry about Ramos’ desire for Cohen to foot the bill without a casino, the assemblyman cut in, “Stop. Just stop.”

“She isn’t hoping that they would — she’s only trying to cover up so that no one will blame her that she has denied the kind of real benefits that the community would get if the whole plan is going,” Aubry said. “You don’t take out the money-generating portion of this plan, and then say, ‘Oh, well, do everything else.’”

Meanwhile, Cohen’s camp still thinks a casino is the only way to build anything financially feasible at the site, which the team has under lease for another 81 years. Asked whether Cohen and his team will consider Ramos’ proposal, Karl Rickett, a spokesperson for the project, told the Chronicle, “Year-round entertainment is core to any realistic vision for this area, and casino gaming is that economic engine. So it’s an absolutely critical part of this process.”

As such, per Rickett’s statement, Cohen and his team “remain committed” to making Metropolitan Park a reality, and to getting the parkland alienation and one of three downstate casino licenses the state Gaming Commission will award in 2025.

Next Stop Cohenville

 

THE CITY

Mets owner Steve Cohen on Tuesday released more details about his plan to build a casino on the city-owned parking lot surrounding Citi Field, although he still needs the state legislature to approve so-called park land alienation to start any construction.

New Green Willets LLC, Cohen’s lobbying firm, has officially unveiled “Metropolitan Park,” an $8 billion vision for the 50 acres of parking lots surrounding Citi Field. The designs were influenced by months of community meetings, the group wrote in the release. They are partnering with Hard Rock International, owner of restaurants and casinos around the world, as well as the SHoP Architects and Field Operations for landscape design. 

The developers want to build a hotel with restaurants and bars, add a live music venue, and also note they plan to build a casino – “subject to Gaming Commission license.” 

The site will also still include 20 acres of public park land.

Cohen is set to submit a formal public notice for a scoping hearing, reviewing environmental and economic impact, for the casino plans on Wednesday, a spokesperson for the team owner confirmed to THE CITY. 

The blueprint comes after months of public “visioning sessions” and the statement from Cohen and crew included support from community leaders, who touted economic opportunities. 

“We have the opportunity to turn the 50 acres of asphalt around Citi Field, right across the creek from downtown Flushing, into things we need,” Peter Tu, a senior advisor to the Flushing Chinese Business Association, said in the release. 

State officials could dole out up to three new licenses for casinos in the southern parts of New York, which includes New York City, Long Island and Westchester County.

Other organizations and companies vying for the license include Genting Group’s Resorts World in Ozone Park, Queens, and a proposal from SL Green Realty Corp. to build a casino in Times Square — backed hip-hop luminaries like Jay-Z and Fat Joe. Vornado recently backed out of its plans to build a casino near Penn Station.

Cohen’s casino dreams in Flushing still need state authorization to hand over the land since it’s technically a park. Assemblymember Jeff Aubry (D-Queens) has introduced a related bill, specifically naming Cohen’s New Green Willets lobbying group. 

But that bill requires matching legislation from the area’s representative in the State Senate, Democrat Jessica Ramos — who has said she needs to hear more from the community before introducing anything. 

The stall in Albany hasn’t stopped the Mets from moving forward with development plans.

 

Mets owner closer to getting casino

 

The City

A state lawmaker introduced a bill Wednesday that would authorize New York City to build on the parking lot at Citi Field, which would help pave the way for redevelopment plans envisioned by Mets owner Steve Cohen that include a new casino.

The legislation introduced by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry (D-Queens) calls for the parking lot to be developed for “a gaming facility and, in conjunction with such facility, commercial, retail, entertainment, recreational, hotel, convention, and or community facility uses,” according to the bill text.

Because the Citi Field lot is technically parkland, designated in 1939 as part of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, it requires state intervention to “alienate” it to facilitate construction. 

Aubry’s bill specifies that the land be discontinued as parkland “through the entering of leases or other agreements with New Green Willets, LLC, its affiliates, or any other entity or entities,” referencing the lobbying firm owned by Cohen. As part of what’s known as “park alienation,” the city would have to find at least 20 acres of replacement parkland or significantly improve other existing greenspace — paid for by the private developer, according to the legislation.

Cohen has pushed for redevelopment of the Citi Field parking lot, which is owned by the city and leased to the Mets, since shortly after buying the team for $2.4 billion in November 2020.

In the past few months he has hosted “visioning sessions” with locals and community leaders to get feedback on what Queens residents — and Mets fans across the city — would like to see in the area.

Aubry, who did not immediately respond to a call and text message seeking comment, previously told THE CITY that he had spoken many times with Cohen’s lobbying firm, New Green Willets, about their ideas for the parking lot. He said he was most concerned with creating jobs and recreational activities for his district, which includes Corona and East Elmhurst. 

“They have talked to me about it a number of times,” he told THE CITY in January. “The casino in my mind is important to them — not so important to me.” 

State Sen. Jessica Ramos, a Democrat who also represents the neighborhood, said she was blindsided by the legislation — a version of which she had planned on introducing.

“I was taken aback this morning, it was quite a surprise to see legislation submitted,” she told THE CITY, adding that any park alienation would require her sign-on in a jointly-introduced bill.

Ramos said she had not had the chance to read Aubry’s legislation yet.

“Not only do I have some reading to do but I also have some conversations to be had,” she added.

Greenwashing sabotage at Citifield "visioning" event

 

NY Post 

Mets owner Steve Cohen solicited input from Queens residents Saturday on how best to develop the area around Citi Field – all while preparing to potentially roll the dice on bringing a casino to the property.

The billionaire hedge funder and his team met with more than 500 neighborhood residents at the ballpark and talked about how to turn the adjacent, long dormant Willets Point area into a year-round, all-weather entertainment destination.

Cohen said he’s “looking for great ideas” but openly added “a casino is definitely an option” — despite some in attendance expressing staunch opposition to gambling on the site.

“We don’t expect everyone to support all our ideas, but that’s what this discussion is about,” added Cohen, who’s seriously considering bidding for one of three downstate casino licenses up for grabs.

Cohen wasn't just being coy, there was a lot of chicanery afoot according to this eyewitness who contacted me and it sure looks like the omniscience of Transportation Alternatives was present at this: 

Crappy,

I went to the Steve Cohen event yesterday. It wasn’t a “presentation” in the traditional sense. It was a walk along a line of easels set up with different elements of the property’s history and possible future uses.  At each station, an employee solicited attendees’ thoughts on that station’s offering.  There were a LOT of people working there.  A sign on the front door advised visitors that by entering, they were consenting to being photographed. It was from a company called “Out of Lemons LLC.” (?) 

The employees and the various easels scrupulously avoided any mention of a “casino.” In fact, they skillfully avoided presenting anything resembling Cohen’s own vision for the site.  However, as with most push polls, they did suggest vague, generic uses for the site; usually in very innocuous terms:  “more green space,” “walkability,” “enhanced access to the waterfront,” “live music,” “entertainment”… and so on. Things that are hard to argue against.  Again, no mention of a casino.

At one station, they asked how we arrived that day at the ballpark.  We were invited to provide answers by putting sticky dots on a board. That dot process was repeated at every station. Here, something wasn’t right.  We were there at the front door before the event started.  In fact, we wheedled our way inside the front door while waiting to be allowed upstairs.  Almost everyone allowed in during the first wave were media or PR people (they wore badges, carried video equipment, and/or Cohen’s media desk seemed to know almost everyone coming in). When we were allowed up, we were among the first civilians to go in. Back to the sticky dots.  There appeared to be a lot more answer-dots on the boards than there were visitors at that point.  Dozens of people said they used mass transit to get there, almost no one used a car.  But there were more dots than people.  And the designated parking area had lots of cars in it. This looked suspicious.  That was repeated at another station in which more people than possible said they wanted “walkability” (whatever that means).  There were more examples of this, but these jumped out at me.

It appears to me that the use of broad suggested “uses” for the parking lot was their way of framing the discussion.  That’s why I use the term push poll. The consultants running this can say that almost everyone wants the parking lot to change into something else.  Of course.  If you ask someone to choose among a dozen topics (“none of the above” not being an option), they’re going to pick one or more. That doesn’t mean there’s a grass roots movement demanding Steve Cohen be allowed to use parkland for commercial purposes.  The common term for faux grassroots like this is “astroturfing.”  I assume the next step is for “Queens Future” (a creature of lobbyists “New Green Willets”) to seek legislation allowing privatization of the parkland.

 Here’s what wasn’t included at the stations, or in the choices:

•  Any mention of a casino (but yes to bars, restaurants, music venue, and “entertainment”)

•   Any reference to traffic or congestion (between the stadium, the new soccer stadium, the huge residential & commercial development in the Iron Triangle, and a casino, there’s going to be a huge increase in traffic on already overcrowded roads)

•   Any mention of what’s going to happen to the parking lot – where are all the cars going to park? (I asked one of the employees… he guessed that there would be a parking structure of some kind. It would have to be enormous, and would be a nightmare trying to leave)

• Whether Steve Cohen should have any right to develop this parks department land. The courts have already ruled that the lot may be leased but the lessee can’t build on it.

• No option to leave well enough alone – it’s a parking lot, which is a necessity, and it does its job well.

• No access to any knowledgeable sources to ask any questions or express concerns. (Broadcast news says Cohen met with 500 people – I didn’t see him, and I heard his employees say they didn’t even know if he was in the building).

In short, this wasn’t as heavy handed as I feared it might be.  But it was unmistakably manipulative.  I don’t like being “played.” 

{Unrelated carping: I wish they’d stop calling the neighborhood “Willets Point.” It’s not.  Willets Point Blvd was a subway station name, based on an unfinished road that ran from 126th St. & Roosevelt Ave to (theoretically) Fort Totten (which is actually Willets Point).  Ask Kevin Walsh    https://forgotten-ny.com/2020/08/where-is-willets-point/ }

Vision Fifty-Zero

 

Queens Post

 The owner of the New York Mets is looking to develop a 50-acre area around Citi Field and is holding a visioning session next month to get feedback as to how it should be done.

Steve Cohen, the hedge fund manager who purchased the Mets in 2020 for $2.4 billion, aims to “re-imagine the space around Citi Field” that currently consists of 50 acres of vacant asphalt. He says that the desolate space is wasted, and that it divides neighborhoods from one another—and is a barrier to the Flushing Bay waterfront.

Cohen said the visioning session will take place on Jan. 7 at Citi Field and it builds on discussions he has had with community groups and local leaders. To participate in the meeting, register here.

“For months, we have been listening to the local community who keeps telling us there is more they want from the area. Everyone agrees that the status quo isn’t acceptable,” Cohen said in a statement. “We are committed to putting forward a vision for the area that will create a shared space that people not only want to come to and enjoy, but can be proud of.”

New Mets owner lobbying for a casino on Willets Point

 

THE CITY

Steve Cohen, who bought the team for $2.4 billion in the fall of 2020, hosted Mayor Eric Adams and other top City Hall officials at Citi Field this January, where he and others presented ideas for Willets Point, the 61-acre piece of land across the street, THE CITY has learned.

Portions of the neighborhood — known for its hamlet of auto-body shops and junkyards and decades of failed redevelopment plans — are currently getting an environmental clean-up as part of a plan from 2013.

The effort is expected to bring 1,100 affordable apartments and a new school by the end of the decade. Of the 61 acres of land, 23 acres are currently owned by the city. The rest of the land is privately owned.

Cohen’s alleged desire for a casino near Citi Field first made headlines last fall, and it was reported in February that casino operators were eyeing the Flushing ballpark as one of a handful of sites in New York City where they’d like to add slot machines.

In the meeting with top city officials, Cohen discussed potential support for a casino in Citi Field’s parking lot, officials told THE CITY. Cohen’s people also discussed broader plans to beautify the area around the stadium, including potentially adding hiking trails along Flushing Creek.

“For decades, New Yorkers have known that our city can get more out of the area around Citi Field,” Tiffany Galvin-Cohen, a (unrelated) spokesperson for Cohen, said in a statement on Tuesday.

 

Willets Point eyed for casino...again

Well, well, well. For years, we've been covering "rumors" that the Willets Point boondoggle will result in a casino.

Now, according to today's NY Post, it's no longer a rumor.

Three large casino companies are jockeying over a rare opportunity to bring a piece of the Las Vegas Strip to the Big Apple, The Post has learned.

Wynn Resorts, Bally’s Corp. and Las Vegas Sands are all quietly positioning themselves to compete for a New York City-area casino license in anticipation of Albany putting out a request for proposals as soon as next month, sources told The Post.

Efforts have included talking to potential developer partners and wooing local politicians for support, sources said.

Locations being scouted include Willets Point in Queens, where new Mets owner Steve Cohen leases the Citi Field ballpark and adjoining parking lots; the Belmont Park development in Long Island, which is already home to the Belmont Park racetrack and the Islanders stadium; and Staten Island’s St. George neighborhood — home to both the Staten Island Ferry and the New York Wheel, a proposed 630-foot Ferris wheel to be located next to the Empire Outlets retail complex.

So which pols have been lobbied?

Resorts World about to expand

From 1010WINS:

The Resorts World Casino in Queens has broken ground on a $400-million expansion.

First opened in 2011 in the retrofitted grandstand of Aqueduct Race Track the all-electronic casino already attracts more than 10-million visitors a year. It’s enough success, Casino President Scott Molina said, for the Malaysian conglomerate that owns it to invest another $400-million into it.

The two year project will include a new 400 room, four star hotel, and four new restaurants.

Woman wins and then loses at Resorts World

From Eyewitness News:

It was casino chaos in this video shot by Katrina's partner after she reported her huge winnings. She was surrounded by customers and casino personnel and security. Escorted off the casino floor, she was told to come back tomorrow for the decision.

Katrina remembers her next day visit to the casino, "I said what did I win? (casino rep said) You didn't win nothing." Katrina says the only winning the casino offered was a steak dinner.

"They win and the house doesn't want to pay out. To me that's unfair," says her attorney, Alan Ripka.

Ripka says, at the very least Katrina should win the maximum allowed on the Sphinx machine the casino says it's $6,500.

"The machine takes your money when you lose. It ought to pay it when you win," said Ripka.

The state gaming commission told us Katrina's machine malfunctioned. Stated on all machines "malfunctions void all pays and plays."

Resorts World plans to expand

From the Wall Street Journal:

Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens wants to spend an estimated $400 million to add 1,000 video-lottery terminals and build a new hotel and convention complex.

The proposal includes adding a 400-room hotel, a 20,000-square-foot spa and resort, at least 140,000 square feet of convention and meeting space, plus additional room for food, retail and casino expansion.

The plan, which would expand the Resorts World Casino footprint at Aqueduct by an estimated 750,000 square feet, was outlined June 27 to the New York state Franchise Oversight Board by Resorts World Casino President Ryan Eller.

If all goes to plan, Mr. Eller told the board, the complex would open in April 2019.

The additional video-lottery terminals would come on top of the 5,500 electronic gambling machines of varying types already at Resorts World.

A spokesman for Resorts World said the expansion would be built on the west side of the existing casino, a space now covered by a parking lot.

Robber steals Resorts World guard's car

From CBS New York:

Police are looking for a man who they said attacked a security guard at a Queens casino before taking off in the victim’s car.

The suspect walked up to the 66-year-old guard around 7 p.m. last Saturday near the Resorts World Casino and assaulted him, police said.

During the attack, police said the victim dropped the keys to his 2008 Lexus. The suspect grabbed the keys, jumped into the victim’s car and took off, police said.

Thief robs casino patron

From the Daily News:

One gambler's luck vanished when a crook snatched a wad of cash from his hand and disappeared at the Resorts World Casino in Queens, police said on Tuesday.

The 54-year-old victim was sitting at an electronic table game when the suspect slinked up behind him, grabbed about $2,000 in cash and took off running from the casino floor on July 2 around 11:30 p.m., authorities said.

Security cameras caught the thief hurdling down staircases as he made his getaway.

Police described the suspect as a light skinned man, 20- to 25-years-old with a thin build.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477).

Love the quality of the image captured by the casino's security cameras!

Murder at Resorts World

From NBC:

A woman was shot and killed at the Resorts World Casino in Queens early Tuesday morning, according to police.

Authorities said a male suspect shot the woman multiple times in the body following some kind of confrontation in the casino parking lot in South Ozone Park at about 2:30 a.m.

The police sewed this one up quickly.

Gang riot at Resorts World

From the Daily News:

All bets were off after a chair-hurling brawl broke out Friday night at the grand opening of a Fat Tuesday New Orleans-style daiquiri bar inside the Resorts World Casino in Queens, officials said.

About two dozen people were involved in the 10 p.m. brawl at the Ozone Park casino next to Aqueduct Racetrack, cops said.

There were approximately 300 people waiting in long drink lines when the fighting erupted, cops said.

An eye-popping video of the fight shows patrons hurling chairs across the room at each other and swinging gold stanchions as if they were swords.

“A lot of gang members (were involved),” a police source said.

Police estimated the damage at $2,000 but a casino spokesman described it as “minimal.”

The fight erupted inside near the daiquiri franchise shortly after it opened, but quickly spilled into an outside parking lot.

Four security guards suffered minor injuries and a cop hurt his hand trying to contain the melee, police said.

Two men were arrested for taking part in the brawl.

Big winner at Resorts World gets mugged

From the Daily News:

A cunning yet patient crook robbed an 88-year-old Queens man of his casino winnings after following him all the way from the betting house to his home — a journey that took 90 minutes and covered more than 10 miles.

Prosecutors say Gregory Hillman, 57, started trailing his mark right after he spotted the octogenarian counting $1,000 in prize money at the Resorts World Casino in South Ozone Park on Halloween night.

Video surveillance captured Hillman following the victim into and out of a casino bathroom, out of the betting parlor and onto a shuttle bus, authorities said.

Hillman trailed behind the victim as he boarded an E train at the Jamaica station and stepped off at the Roosevelt Ave./74th St. stop in Jackson Heights, authorities said. When the elderly man walked into a supermarket after leaving the subway station, Hillman was captured on surveillance video walking in and out right behind him.

Hillman remained behind the victim when he boarded a Q47 bus and rode it to East Elmhurst. It was only after the man got off the bus and neared his residence that Hillman finally pounced.

What Resorts World must resort to

From Crains:

The jackpot at Resorts World Casino is a little leaner these days—though not for gamblers.

The 36-month-old racino at Aqueduct Raceway in Queens has enjoyed a run of record-breaking revenue and double-digit annual growth. But during the past year, its growth has slowed, just as its owner, Malaysia-based Genting Americas, is hoping to be approved by the state for a $1.5 billion luxury resort and casino in Tuxedo.

Resorts World's revenue this fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2015, will increase by "high single digits," compared with a 14% growth rate in the previous fiscal year, said Christian Goode, senior vice president of development for Genting Americas. Last fiscal year, it generated $792 million in revenue, of which $618.2 million went to paying fees and to Albany in the form of gambling taxes.

"Double-digit growth is simply not sustainable, but whether we get [a casino upstate], our efforts are full steam ahead in Queens," he added. "There is more we can do there."

Resorts World has not been as successful tapping into the robust tourism industry in the Big Apple as it would have liked. The vast majority of its customers are locals from Brooklyn, Queens and Long Island. To attract more visitors, Mr. Goode is considering developing a hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport—one that would offer better amenities than the existing budget airport properties—and help the casino capture international travelers, who would be shuttled directly to Aqueduct.

Resorts World is raking in the dough

From WPIX:

There is no Roman facade. There are no Venetian gondolas. Nor do they have a volcano out front.

Yet, inside of an architecturally simple structure in Queens is the most explosive casino in all of North America, Resorts World Casino.

“From a slot operation standpoint it’s phenomenal. This is the highest grossing slot operation in really the entire world, not just North America,” said Ed Farrell, president of the casino operation.

Six months after opening in the fall of 2011, with very little fanfare, Resorts World Casino became the most productive slot operation in the nation. Its strategy was simple. To target the culturally diverse neighborhoods around it according to Farrell. “It really caters a lot to the locals. Most of our business is from Queens and Long Island, and Brooklyn and close to here, but being so close to JFK we also do get a little bit of business from those people that are coming in from out of town.”

Cuomo now hates Genting

From Capital New York:

Two years ago, Andrew Cuomo made the Malaysian gambling conglomerate’s agenda his own, putting his full rhetorical and political might behind its ambitious plans for a $4 billion convention-center complex there—a complex the company also hoped would come complete with a full-scale casino. Now, the political darling has become an outcast, with its ambitions of being in on the ground floor of New York’s coming casino boom in doubt.

“Andrew hates them with a passion,” said one knowledgeable source, referring to Genting. “I think that he felt that they didn’t negotiate in good faith.”

The two parties are “on the outs,” said another.

Cuomo declined to comment for this story.

Genting spokesman Stefan Friedman, without getting into specifics, said, “Genting’s relationship with the state is strong, and the people of New York are the beneficiaries of that relationship.”

But you don’t have to be a Cuomo insider to read the tea leaves.

In early January, Cuomo made the convention center idea the centerpiece of his State of the State economic development strategy, relying on what some sources described as an unbinding memorandum of understanding between the state and the gambling company. In that same speech, he said he would seek to legalize casino gambling in New York State.

Given the still-preliminary nature of the negotiations with Cuomo, executives at Genting were taken aback to find their proposal center-stage at the State of the State. But by publicly committing himself to a still half-baked idea, Cuomo had given them leverage to negotiate, and they used it.

In the ensuing weeks, details about the Genting-Cuomo negotiations leaked out, and despite Cuomo’s protestations, those negotiations clearly linked the full-scale casino to the convention center. Not only did Genting want a lower tax rate for its gambling operations, but it also wanted regional exclusivity for its full-scale casino. Goode, the Genting lobbyist, even went on the record arguing: “The state has provided exclusivity to other projects. It’s a logical path. We don’t want to cannibalize our own market.’’

And then, somehow, everything fell apart.

Casino that was supposed to provide jobs lays off 175

From the Queens Courier:

Resorts World Casino shut the doors to its Aqueduct Buffet on Monday, and in turn on about 175 employees.

“I thought it was a drastic move, certainly one that could be reconsidered down the line,” said State Senator Joseph Addabbo.

The buffet closed on Jan. 6 after “trying to make it work for two years, and just couldn’t,” said a spokesperson for the New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council (HTC).

“We have made the difficult decision to close the Aqueduct Buffet, which never caught on with our customers and has consistently lost money,” said Ed Farrell, Resorts World president. “We sincerely regret the impact this closure has on the buffet’s employees and are working closely with the HTC to ease this transition.”

The HTC is in contract with Resorts World and has begun helping the laid-off employees find new work.

In the interim, the buffet workers will receive up to five weeks severance pay, depending on how long they were employed at the casino and what job they did. They will also get 120 days of extended family medical coverage and preferential hiring in other Resorts World departments, according to the spokesperson.

The employees did not receive notice the buffet was closing, but the spokesperson said the “federal WARN notice,” the worker adjustment and retraining notification act, does not apply in this situation. The buffet had to have more than a third of Resorts World employees to receive forewarning.