A little Vegas for Queens? Casino groundbreaking today

Will the planned groundbreaking Thursday of New York City's first casino ultimately infuse a bit of Las Vegas in Queens?

The project, known as Resorts World New York, is set to make over the aging Aqueduct Racetrack site in Ozone Park with a sleek, shiny design. Its owner, Genting New York, plans to install 4,500 video slot machines, the first 1,600 of which will be ready by May, project officials said.

"Upscale, certainly," said Genting spokesman Stefan Friedman of the concept Wednesday. "Definitely not Vegas, though."

The $325 million construction project includes a two-story sports bar and lounge, a food court and indoor water show to open by the end of next year. A new pedestrian bridge will connect to the Aqueduct subway stop.

But when it comes to its marketing, Resorts won't be courting any specific type of customer, Friedman said.

At Empire City at Yonkers Raceway, the slots demographic skews older and female, said Tim Rooney Jr., whose family owns the casino.

The slots parlor hosts monthly comedy nights as one way to attract a younger crowd, Rooney said, adding that there's "plenty population" for both Empire City and Resorts to thrive.

Empire City, which took in $554 million in revenue last year, is the largest of the state's eight racetrack casinos.

But Resorts is expected to top Empire City, potentially generating more than $1 million in revenue per day for the state's education fund.

Some New Yorkers remain hesitant about having a casino in their backyard, especially since there won't be live table games, like blackjack, offered.

"I think I'd go more to the full casino, because if I go with friends, we go to shows and to restaurants," said Seborn Ragsdale, 42, of Hell's Kitchen, who's planning a trip to Las Vegas next month. "It's the whole experience of going."

With Heidi Lee