Proponents and opponents of the addition of video lottery terminals at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York each staged a rally on Saturday to support their causes.
Another protest against the establishment of a small casino at the existing racetrack was held earlier this month. More than 2,000 people gathered together to voice their opposition, with Floral Park Village Mayor Thomas Tweedy being among the staunchest objectors to the project.
While opponents went on a mile-long march from Floral Park to Elmont on Saturday, proponents gathered at Belmont Park to show their support and approval of the proposed gambling expansion at the racetrack. Some said that the addition of VLTs will be good for the region as a source of significant revenue will be created. Others pointed out that it will enhance the community and give residents a place to go.
When asked about why they object to the launch of a small casino in Elmont opponents said that more gambling will likely result in increased crime and traffic, as well as to lower property values.
Last month, the Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. announced that Elmont and its Belmont Park racetrack would host a 100,000-square-foot casino that would feature a total of 1,000 video lottery terminals. The OTB corporation had been looking for a site where to locate the facility for some time as its previous efforts had been rejected by potential host communities.
The Nassau OTB said in December that it had chosen Belmont Park as the future host of the small casino after it had carried out an “exhaustive” review of the existing options. The corporation also projected that once operational, it would generate revenue of $100 million every year and would contribute up to $20 million in tax income. A significant share of the tax revenue is expected to be used to “support vital public services.”
In 2013, Nassau County was one of two Long Island counties to be allowed to open a small gambling venue with up to 1,000 VLTs as a compensation for the region being denied to apply for a full-scale casino license. Although VLTs are essentially very similar to traditional slot machines, they are actually hooked into the New York State lottery.
It is still unclear when the Belmont Park casino will open doors as the project still needs to be approved by the state Legislature. However, Nassau OTB said last month that it would initially launch a temporary gaming parlor while waiting for a final decision on the matter.
