Yesterday, legislators from Suffolk County nixed a bill under which Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp. would have been required to get the nod from Brookhaven officials, so as to be able to build a mini-casino property in Medford.
The 18-member lawmakers panel voted 10-7 against the bill during a meeting which was held in Riverhead. The 10 legislators who opposed the new regulation said that the venue is expected to generate substantial revenues and a number of jobs will be created. Yet, residents are still concerned that its launch will lead to increased crime rate and serious traffic issues.
Robert Calarco, the Majority Leader who proposed the bill, said that the building of the Medford property needs to be voted by residents. He explained that he was not against the construction of the casino itself. He simply did not approve of the fact that the project moved forward, although Brookhaven’s board members passed a regulation that did not back the current location of the gambling venue in Medford.
At present, the Nassau Off-Track Betting Corp. is looking for a site for its gaming facility, which is planned to feature as many as 1,000 slot machines. Formerly, the agency was eyeing the decrepit Fortunoff store in Westbury. Yet, its intention to locate its venue there met strong public opposition.
The Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp. purchased a 31-acre site for the sum of $10 million. It intends to build a $40-million gambling venue, which is to spread over 100,000 square feet. The agency hopes that the state Gaming Commission will give the necessary approval for the mini-casino to open doors by 2016.
About a week ago, State Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick submitted a bill that would prevent the Suffolk and Nassau agencies from building their gaming parlors. What is more, residents of Medford publicly opposed the Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp.
Agency officials promised that they will take due measures so as to make sure that the issues pointed by locals will be effectively solved.
Legislator DuWayne Gregory, who has previously worked for the Suffolk Off-Track Betting Corp., proposed that the city might create an advisory committee that would make sure that citizens’ concerns are addressed in the way they should be. Mr.Gregory did not support Mr. Calarco’s bill.
Legislator Thomas Barraga was another official to vote against the proposed legislation. He pointed to the fact that, recently, Atlantic City casinos closed doors as neighboring states, New York included, started opening their own venues. Or as he said himself, it seems that New Yorkers prefer to engage in gambling activities in local parlors.
