Double down on casino jobs – – qchron.com
A year ago, when there were nearly a dozen contenders for casino licenses, we thought it unlikely Queens would get two sites approved. But Monday’s vote of the state Gaming Facility Location Board makes it all but a sure thing.
There is still one card to be dealt before it’s time to cash in our chips, but rumor has it the deck is stacked. The state Gaming Commission has the final say, but the odds are a million to one that it would contradict the GFLB’s position.
So you can expect both the Metropolitan Park entertainment and open-space complex next to Citi Field and the expansion of the Resorts World New York City casino next to Aqueduct Race Track to move full-steam ahead. Given the money behind the plans — that of billionaire Mets owner Steve Cohen and the Hard Rock International conglomerate for Metropolitan Park and the global giant Genting Group for Resorts World, you can expect building to move along as fast as legally possible.
And that means jobs, jobs, jobs. The $8 billion Metropolitan Park plan will generate 16,224 direct and 7,711 indirect construction jobs, and 2,559 permanent direct jobs, according to a city analysis. The $5 billion Resorts World plan will create 7,942 direct and 3,775 indirect construction jobs and 1,765 permanent direct jobs, the report says.
The firms also promise more of the affordable housing the city desperately needs. Queens Future, the Cohen-Hard Rock venture, says it will join with Slate Property Group to build 450 affordable apartments in Corona. The plan is part of a $1 billion community benefit package. Meanwhile, Genting is teaming up with Cirrus Workforce Housing and building trades unions, along with the city itself, on plans to create as many as 50,000 workforce housing units across the five boroughs. That is a different type of plan altogether, and we’ll see if it can come to fruition.
But barring some major surprise, casinos are coming. We hope people can fight off the lure of addictive gambling and just have a good time within reason. The economy and government coffers will benefit, and we hope society will as well.
Source – Indonesia News
