Nassau could hit jackpot from Resorts World license win

Daily Point

Planned full-scale casino in Queens could allow Nassau County to renegotiate deal

The initial selection of three downstate casinos — Hard Rock Metropolitan Park at Citi Field, Bally’s at Ferry Point in the Bronx and Resorts World at Aqueduct — seems to leave Long Island without a big win of its own.

But Nassau County still could benefit, thanks in part to its 1,000 video lottery terminals, currently housed at Resorts World.

In an interview with The Point, Nassau OTB President and county Republican Party chairman Joe Cairo confirmed that if the state Gaming Commission awards a license to Resorts World, it would trigger a clause in Nassau’s agreement with Genting, Resorts World’s owner.

“That’s a material beneficial event, and we’ll prosper from it,” Cairo said. “It’s clearly spelled out in the agreement. It states that as they make more money, so do we ... Under the agreement we and the residents of Nassau County benefit.”

The hosting agreement between Nassau OTB and Genting New York LLC was established in 2016, after Nassau was unable to find a place for the 1,000 VLTs the state had awarded the county. While Suffolk OTB came to a deal that same year to operate its VLTs in Islandia, at a location now known as Jake’s 58, Nassau’s machines ended up at Resorts World in Queens, in exchange for a steady revenue payment that now amounts to more than $31 million a year.

The agreement has a specific provision defining a “Material Beneficial Event” — including the possibility that “Genting procures a license and operates a ‘full service casino’” that increases gross gaming revenue by 20% for at least a year.

In such a scenario, the agreement says, “the parties shall negotiate in good faith to amend this Agreement to provide for a commercially reasonable increase in the Revenue Royalty Payments” to Nassau.

Cairo told The Point that Nassau OTB and Genting have maintained a solid relationship since 2016, and that he expects it to continue.

“We feel very strongly that we’ve had a good partnership with Genting and if and when the day comes, and the commission approves [the casino], that we will continue to have a good relationship with Genting, and that as provided in the agreement from 2016, that they will negotiate in good faith an amendment to that agreement,” Cairo said.

And Resorts World officials seem to agree.

“Nassau OTB has been one of the many great partners to work with as a VLT operator, and we look forward to working together to have an equally good relationship as a commercial gaming operator once the Commission finishes its work,” a Resorts World New York City spokesman said in a statement to The Point.

But there could be a complication. A source with knowledge of the situation confirmed something The Point has previously reported: A VLT facility and a full casino cannot exist within the same gaming complex.

In questions and answers posted online by the Gaming Commission during the license application process, the commission was specifically asked: “Will an existing VLT operator be permitted to maintain the license and operate VLTs?”

The answer was simple: “No.”

That leaves Resorts World and Nassau County with a few options. The simplest and perhaps more practical option might be to get rid of the VLTs altogether but continue the revenue sharing agreement without the machines themselves. That would mean Resorts World could continue to pay Nassau County in whatever new agreement the two parties reach, without the actual terminals operating.

Alternatively, Nassau could find a new place for its VLTs. Some sources have suggested that MGM Resorts’ Empire City Casino in Yonkers would be one potential location, since it remains a VLT facility. But Nassau OTB also could consider finding a place for the machines in Nassau County. Cairo said that as of now, no Nassau locations, including the Nassau Hub, were being seriously contemplated.

“There’s no discussions whatsoever,” Cairo said. “From the OTB’s perspective, if there are discussions in the future about the Hub or any other locations in Nassau County, then obviously I would have those conversations with the county executive.”

But Cairo pointed to another possible location: Belmont Park. Using Belmont for VLTs, which would require state approval, was considered in December 2015, but just a few months later, Nassau OTB came to the deal with Resorts World instead.

“There was opposition at the time, some of which emanated from Queens,” Cairo recalled, noting that there was concern that Belmont VLTs would compete too closely with Aqueduct’s own VLTs. “Now that’s changed because they’ll have a full-fledged casino ... It’s a whole different clientele, so some of the concerns that were there back almost 10 years ago, maybe they’ve changed.”

Could Belmont be an option for Nassau’s VLTs now?

“Maybe it would be. Who knows?” Cairo said. “But again, right now our focus is that we have an agreement. We have a great relationship with Genting and however it is to be worked out, we know they will live up to their word under the agreement.”

Cairo told The Point he hadn’t yet reached out to Genting.

“We’ll wait until after the commission approves it,” Cairo said. “You never know what happens in life.”

— Randi F. Marshall randi.marshall@newsday.com

Pencil Point

All bets are on

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Final Point

Nassau moves to limit protests at places of religious worship

Nassau’s Republican lawmakers are proposing a law that would put distance restrictions on demonstrations near places of religious worship in the county.

Filed Monday in the legislature, the Religious Safety Act would prohibit protesters from getting closer than 10 feet to anyone entering or leaving “a place of religious worship before, during, and after services.” The restriction would apply to a zone of 100 feet from the entrance from one hour before the start of the service to one hour after it ends.

The bill would also make it illegal for any demonstrations to take place within 35 feet of the entrance to a place of worship. Violators can be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by a $250 fine or up to 1 year in jail.

The legislation comes two weeks after a widely publicized confrontation at the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan where protesters shouted “Globalize the intifada” and “Death to the IDF” as congregants were entering the facility to attend an event promoting migration to Israel.

NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch later personally apologized to the congregation during Shabbat services stating that police did not do enough to create a safe zone outside the synagogue to protect members from being harassed.

Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who has spoken extensively about protecting residents from acts of antisemitism, did not respond to a request for comment. If past practice is any guide, GOP lawmakers are acting in accordance with Blakeman's wishes with the bill.

A month ago, Blakeman held a news conference in Mineola to condemn antisemitism in New York City. “We are enhancing police presence and security measures at houses of worship to ensure every resident feels safe. With the third-largest Jewish population in the country, Nassau County stands firm — antisemitism will never be tolerated,” he said.

Blakeman is exploring a run for governor in 2026.

Previously, Blakeman has responded to pro-Palestinian protests over the conflict in Gaza by creating a specialized deputy sheriffs’ unit, known as his militia, that could be used to protect temples and synagogues, and signed a ban on masks by protesters.

— Rita Ciolli rita.ciolli@newsday.com

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