Gov. Cuomo proposed in his State of the State address on Wednesday to build the country’s largest convention center at the casino at Aqueduct in South Ozone Park, as well as to amend the Constitution to allow Vegas-style gambling in the state.
“Let’s build the biggest convention center in the nation, period,” Cuomo said of the proposed $4 billion, nearly four million square foot site that could boast as many as 3,000 hotel rooms.
“It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs,” the governor continued, referring to the prospect of a convention center at the Resorts World New York City Casino, which would replace the Jacob Javits Center on Manhattan’s west side. Genting, which operates the casino, could run the center.
“It’s a great time to invest and grow in New York, and we are thrilled to be able to play a role in creating jobs and increasing tourism,” Genting Americas Senior Vice President for Development Christian Good said in reference to the center.
The governor also called for a change to the state’s Constitution to allow for the kind of gambling now permitted in Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
“When it comes to casino gaming, we’re living in a state of denial,” Cuomo said. “It’s not whether or not we should have gaming in the state —we have gaming in the state. We have tribal casinos all across the state. We have racinos all across the state. We have 29,000 electronic gaming machines —that’s more than in Atlantic City or any state in the northeast or mid-Atlantic.”
RWNYC President Michael Speller has already said that his casino is prepared to almost immediately bring in table games should they become legal.
“Enhanced casino gaming offers our state the promise of enormous economic benefits, including the creation of more than 25,000 new jobs; the return of $3 billion to $5 billion currently spent each year by New Yorkers at casinos located elsewhere; and massive private sector investment,” New York Gaming Association President James Featherstonhaugh said.
Cuomo also called for setting up a task force that would look into rebuilding the state’s infrastructure — including “finally rebuilding the Tappan Zee Bridge.” He proposed that new teacher evaluations be implemented, and said he’d form a commission to evaluate state education.
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