Gaming is already here, now let’s make it count
impressive statistics, but not a cent of it
is landing in the pockets of those who
need it most, namely the thousands of
unemployed hospitality workers who
would immediately benefit from an expansion
of full casino gaming in the
As president of the union that represents
gaming and hospitality workers,
I can say based on firsthand knowledge
that our hotel and tourism industries
have been hit harder and struggled longer
than almost any other sector due to
COVID. New York may be rebounding,
but the thousands of jobs and billions
in tourism revenue won’t unless we do
something drastic and immediate to
turn the tide. An expansion of gaming
options is the game-changer we have
been waiting for and that we desperately
need.
According to a report issued last year
by Spectrum Gaming Group for the New
York State Gaming Commission, the economic
impact of downstate commercial
casinos would be enormous. Thousands
of extremely high-quality jobs with full
health benefits, $1.5 billion in licensing
ON THE WEB
VISIT US ONLINE
AT QNS.COM
CHECK OUT OUR SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES:
www.facebook.com/timesledger
www.twitter.com/TimesLedger
www.instagram.com/qnsgram
LETTERS POLICY
Letters should be typed or neatly handwritten, and those longer than 300
words may be edited for brevity and clarity. All letters must include the writer’s
name and phone number for verifi cation. Names may be withheld from publication
if requested, but anonymously sent letters will not be printed. Letters must
be received by Thursday noon to appear in the next week’s paper. All letters
become the property of Schneps Media and may be republished in any format.
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | MARCH 18 - MARCH 24, 2022 13
OP-ED
BY RICH MAROKO
Since Governor Kathy Hochul included
a proposal in her executive budget
that would allow for casino licenses
to be issued in the downstate area two
months ago, there has been much debate
over whether or not to bring gaming to
New York City.
But if we’re being honest with ourselves,
that debate is in our rearview
mirror because gaming – in the form of
mobile sports betting – is already happening
right here and right now. What
still lies ahead is the most important
benefit gaming offers and the one thing
that mobile gaming has not and cannot
provide: the jobs and boost to our hospitality
and tourism industries that an acceleration
of full casino gaming options
would bring.
Since mobile sports betting came online
in New York just six weeks ago, we
have seen a record-breaking $2.8 billion
in bets wagered by millions of New Yorkers,
and that’s with March Madness and
the NBA playoffs still to come. All that
money changing hands may make for
downstate area.
LAST WEEK’S TOP STORY:
Rockland County teen injured in Glendale scooter
collision dies: NYPD
SUMMARY: A 16-year-old girl from Rockland County who suffered
severe head trauma in a Glendale collision in February died two
days after the crash. Police reported that Alexandra Ariza was riding
as a passenger on a scooter when it slammed into a car on Cooper
Avenue on Feb. 21.
fees, and hundreds of millions in revenue
annually for the state, including money
for public education, are just some of the
critical reasons for bringing full casino
gaming to the downstate area.
With nearly half of our unionized hotel
workforce still unemployed due to the
pandemic and two years of diminished
business and leisure travel bookings,
we don’t have the luxury of getting this
wrong. We know the new jobs that will
be created will be good jobs because we
already have seen what these jobs mean
for our members who work at existing
gaming facilities.
At Resorts World Casino in Queens
and Empire City Casino in Yonkers,
where only electronic gaming options
are currently available, our members
receive family-sustaining salaries of
about $70,000 per year, with cost-free,
high-quality healthcare and defined
pension plans. Combined with the strongest
workplace protections in the industry,
thanks to our union contract, these
jobs are truly unique, but they shouldn’t
be exclusive to those who already have
them.
Thousands of New Yorkers, including
many hospitality workers who have
been unemployed since the start of the
pandemic could find themselves back to
work if we took this unique moment to
double down on this economic opportunity
by permitting full casino gaming
operations in the downstate area.
Tourism workers have endured the
most difficult economic challenges of
their lives over the past two years, but
now we have the opportunity of a lifetime
to begin to turn things around.
With billions of dollars already being
wagered online by state residents over
the course of just a few weeks, there is no
reason not to expand gaming operations
that benefit actual working New Yorkers
by creating good jobs.
All that’s left is for the state to act now
and approve the acceleration of downstate
gaming licenses.
Rich Maroko is president of the
40,000-member NY Hotel & Gaming
Trades Council, the union for hotel
and gaming workers in New York and
northern New Jersey.
/QNS.COM
/TimesLedger
/qnsgram
/QNS.COM
/timesledger
/timesledger
/TimesLedger
/qnsgram
