Community advisory panels support casino proposals at Aqueduct, Yonkers Raceway

Casino proposals for Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens and Yonkers Raceway received unanimous backing Thursday from local screening panels to apply for a full gaming license, making them the first two bidders to survive neighborhood scrutiny and advance to the next round of the downstate casino competition.

The bids received enthusiastic support from their "community advisory committees," even some applause after the votes were cast — a stark contrast with three Manhattan casino projects that were quashed by review panels in the past week. The votes Thursday mean the Aqueduct and Yonkers proposals can be considered by a state board that plans to award licenses in December.

"Sorry Jay-Z. We win again," Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. said after voting yes for the Aqueduct bid, led by gambling giant Resorts World. Richards referenced the defeat last week of a Times Square casino proposal headlined by the rapper and entertainment impresario.

Earlier in the day in Yonkers, local officials struck a similar tone. 

"I want to point out how smooth our application process was, especially in comparison to some in New York City," said Frank Jereis, a member of the Yonkers review panel, shortly before its 5-0 in favor of the MGM/Yonkers Raceway project.

Fellow committee member Larry Wilson said he was voting yes "with high hopes and unbridled optimism."

It was the latest development in a casino competition that began years ago but picked up steam this year.

Eight bidders submitted applications in June for the three casino licenses the state expects to award in December. By law, an applicant must receive a "yes" vote from its community advisory committee by Sept. 30 to be considered by the State Gaming Facility Location Board.

Getting neighborhood backing would be the highest hurdle for some proposals, analysts had said. And that proved true.

Community panels terminated every bid focused on Manhattan: Times Square (led by Caesar's/Roc Nation), Hell's Kitchen (Silverstein/Rush Street Gaming) and East Side/United Nations (Soloviev/Mohegan Sun). In each instance, panelists said neighbors overwhelmingly opposed the building of a casino.

Proposals for casinos at or near Coney Island, Ferry Point (Bronx) and Citi Field (Queens) are on deck. Coney Island and Ferry Point votes are slated for Monday; Citi Field, Tuesday.

Circumstances were very different for Aqueduct and Yonkers Raceway — chiefly, because each site has been conducting racing for decades and operating a video slots parlor for more than a decade. A casino would just be an expansion of existing operations and jobs, panelists said.

"For nearly 19 years, a racino has existed in Yonkers," said Joe Apicella, a Yonkers panel member, using the term for the combination racing-slots operations. 

"This facility has been begging — begging — for a full casino license for years," he said. "If any place can make it work, it's Yonkers."

The proposal there calls for a full casino, a 5,000-person entertainment venue, parking garages and an array of restaurants/bars.

In Queens, committee members lavishly praised Resorts World for providing an extensive development proposal, fielding panel questions along the way and being a "good neighbor" long before proposing a full-scale casino.

"Resorts World has always been a good neighbor and I believe they are a very honest partner in community development," said Sen. James Sanders (D-Queens), a panel member.

Resorts World, the franchise operated by Malaysian conglomerate Genting, has promised to "create a $5.5 billion integrated resort, the largest in the United States." It's also promised to fund a local business "incubator," a $150 million community development fund and 24,000 jobs. 

It also has said that if it wins a license, it could open its first phase of the new casino by July, a rapid timeline compared with the other bidders.

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy