Next, a Belmont casino?

After a decade's worth of inertia, disputes, fiascos and false starts, a casino at Aqueduct Racetrack is set to debut a week from Friday. Resorts World Casino New York City calls it "a world-class gaming, dining and entertainment experience right in New York City."

Hard to believe, maybe, but only a year ago this month, most public mention of plans for the Ozone Park "racino" involved stinging allegations related to a different company that had initially been selected to run the place.

This previous, failed process had featured top Democratic State Senate officials leaking information to the then-preferred AEG company, it was revealed last October. Some individuals, including an aide to Gov. David A. Paterson, had even invoked their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination before the staff of then-Inspector General Joseph Fisch.

Probes stemming from Fisch's report remain open today. A onetime state senator, Carl Andrews, who lobbied for AEG, has been fighting subpoenas in court for documents, based on an argument about the role of the IG's office. Andrews' side has lost, so far -- including an appeals decision issued Tuesday.

The moral of this story may be that megaprojects can take surprising megaturns over many years.

Just 8 miles to the east -- where the site of Belmont Park is the subject of new discussion -- Nassau officials are kicking around the idea of a new Coliseum, possibly with a casino run by the Shinnecock Indian Nation alongside the racetrack.

The proposal du jour prompts a question du jour: How realistic is it to think casino gambling would come to Belmont, so close to where Aqueduct's slot machines and other nightlife features are already at hand?

One former state official steeped in horse-racing issues -- who did not want to be identified -- said Tuesday: "It might not really make sense. If the idea was to make Belmont a destination, you'd think it would have happened already."

But those trying to get some action going have a different view. "It's a lot more likely there'd be a casino there than it would be at any other place in Nassau. This is a site that calls for regional development and a regional destination," said Sen. Kemp Hannon (R-Garden City).

Hannon, a member of the Senate's racing and wagering committee, cited Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo's recent commitment to re-examine legalized gambling. He said: "Out of the mix you'll have some positive things for Belmont take place -- whether that means a casino there, or a hotel there."

Pat Nicolosi of the Elmont East End Civic Association said, "I look at Atlantic City, I look at Connecticut, I look at Las Vegas. Casinos are right next door to each other. Competition is a good thing, and if the state is smart it will make it happen. You never want a monopoly for anything."

State Sen. Jack Martins (R-Mineola) said: "The realities and the hurdles for a casino to be viable at Belmont may be significant, but the revitalization and redevelopment of Belmont is not conditioned on a casino being approved. Clearly there are options. The community will have an opportunity to evaluate them -- and if there's approval, move them forward."

Identifying a long shot is easy. But to borrow a slogan from another New York State gambling venture: "Hey, you never know."