New York lawmakers negotiating a budget deal might issue new gambling licenses downstate, meaning new casinos could land in New York City.
State Sen. Joseph Addabbo Jr., a Democrat from Queens, said the revenue gambling brings to educational funds is “significant” in building new casinos or adding to the existing ones in Queens and Yonkers, according to Fox 5 New York.
“We already have it in New York, and all we’re doing here is expediting this expansion of downstate gaming,” Mr. Addabbo said. “This is a significant step for the state.”
Not everyone is on board with bolstering gambling in the Big Apple, especially in the heart of Manhattan.
“We’ve worked very hard for decades to upgrade Times Square and make it a much better place for all New Yorkers than it was only two or three or four decades ago. I would not want to see casinos moving in and really turning the clock back,” Assembly Member Richard Gottfried, a Democrat, told Fox.
However, the report said unions representing hotel workers find the idea appealing, citing the potential for job growth in a sector battered by the pandemic.
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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