Opponents of the planned addition of a small video lottery terminal casino at the existing Belmont Park rallied outside the racetrack on Saturday, urging legislators to ban the proposed expansion. Organizers told media that they were not only protesting against the Nassau County casino but also against the one in Suffolk County.
Dozens of protesters argued that the establishment of a VLT gambling venue at Belmont Park would increase crime rate and would add more traffic to an area that is already heavily congested. Some also claimed that there are six schools nearby and a potential increase in driving-under-the-influence cases simply does not make sense for their community.
Others added that casinos are generally designed so that visitors never leave them. Thus, the addition of a small casino would not benefit the community at all.
Despite the staunch opposition the plan has been facing for months now with residents of the area holding rallies every once in a while, the Belmont Park expansion also has many supporters. They have repeatedly pointed out that the addition of a VLT casino at the racetrack would bring annual tax revenue of more than $24 million and would result in a number of jobs being created.
Under the proposed plan, a 100,000-square-foot casino would be added to Elmont’s Belmont Park. The venue would feature 1,000 video lottery terminals. Generally speaking, VLTs are very similar to traditional slot machines but are instead connected to the New York State lottery.
In 2013, state legislators approved a proposed legislation allowing for the construction of two VLT venues in Long Islands’s Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Each of the small casinos can feature up to 1,000 video lottery terminals. After the law came into effect the Nassau and Suffolk OTBs were established.
The bankrupt Suffolk OTB is currently looking to finalize the plan for the establishment of the VLT facility. A bankruptcy court hearing regarding the organization’s financial problems is to be held in April.
Last month, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, who chairs the Assembly’s Committee on Racing and Wagering, introduced a measure that seeks to revoke the above-mentioned 2013 law. It is interesting to note that the legislator was among the sponsors of the bill that called for the construction of VLT casinos in the Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
Explaining the intent of his newly introduced bill, Assemblyman Pretlow said that the addition of VLT casinos in the two Long Island counties would be an unnecessary expansion and would have “negative fiscal and social effects.” In addition, the lawmaker said that the increasing competition from the Northeast would probably result in a drop in gambling revenue.
