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The New York State Gaming Commission officially approved licenses on Monday for three casinos to open their doors in New York City. Two of the casinos will pop up in Queens, next to Citi Field and Aqueduct Racetrack, while the third will be part of the Bally Links Golf Course in the Bronx. The proposals were approved despite community opposition, but politicians felt the prospects of jobs and revenue outweigh the risks of noise and traffic complaints far enough to make them a safe bet to succeed in New York City. Joe Borelli is the managing director of Chartwell Strategy Group and former New York City Council Minority Leader; he appeared on 710 WOR’s Mendte in the Morning program to explain why he feels casinos in New York are a winning source of income for the Big Apple.
Borelli told host Larry Mendte that he’d enthusiastically back the casino plans if he was still a council member: “I respect why people wouldn’t want a casino right down the block from their house… I get all that. I do think, though, that whether we like it or not or whether we have an aversion to gambling or not, people enjoy going to casinos. People have enjoyed gambling since time immemorial- they bet on Jesus’s underwear on the cross, so we’re not getting rid of gambling, right. People have fun doing this, so if the government can make some honest money from having gambling in New York City, why not?... [Plus] at least, if it’s at Bally’s, I can play that beautiful Trump golf course. You might hate Donald Trump, but even his critics have to say he makes incredible golf courses.”
Borelli hedged his bet by saying that placement is the reason why all three casinos should work out: “I think it will be sustainable. Governor Cuomo had these dopey ideas to put them in the Borscht Belt, as though suddenly one casino is going to revive an entire town- that’s never gonna happen. Putting this where they can be accessible to people, where people are already visiting, I think, is going to be a positive thing.”
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