OP-ED
Full-scale casino should come to Resorts World New York City
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TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | APRIL 2-APRIL 8, 2021 13
BY THOMAS J. GRECH
When people think of casinos,
they often only think of gaming. But,
in the nearly 10 years since Resorts
World New York City has been open,
our members have come to see it as
so much more. They’ve gone there for
concerts, to watch sporting events,
and for comedy shows. They’ve sat
down for a nice meal at the RW Prime
Steakhouse and Wine Bar. In fact, the
Queens Chamber has hosted numerous
events on site. And they’re not the
only ones. Queens residents and visitors
to the borough have come to view
Resorts World as a destination for entertainment
and good food.
But when the world stopped due
to the pandemic, much of life in the
“World’s Borough” stopped as well.
Tourism was curtailed and foot traffic
took a huge dip. With fewer people
heading to Resorts World, neighboring
small businesses were also hit
hard. We need an influx of people to
the borough to help these organizations
begin to erase the huge losses
they have suffered over the last year.
Our members are aware of Resorts
World’s push to be allowed to compete
in the bidding process for table game
licenses and they fully support the
move. If Resorts World were able to expand
its offerings as an entertainment
destination, people would flock there
to take advantage of the new options.
And while they were there, staying in
the new hotel, they would also be infusing
cash into other businesses in
the area, many of which are minority-
and women-owned enterprises. These
businesses have perhaps felt the loss
of the pandemic more acutely than
others, as their employees and customers
have been adversely impacted
by COVID-19.
New York should be exploring
any and all options that would bring
people back to the city. We’ve seen
the good neighbor that Resorts World
has been to the Chamber and its members.
We know its commitment to hiring
Queens residents and helping local
entrepreneurs. We know the work
it’s done with the community and local
nonprofits – helping them achieve
fundraising goals, amplifying their
work, and connecting them with volunteers
and supporters. We’ve seen
its commitment to providing its customers
access to locally produced
goods. The Chamber believes adding
table games to the facility would do
nothing but strengthen these ties between
Resorts World and the Queens
community. Its success would spell
success for all of us.
Many of our members were forced
to make the hard decision during the
pandemic to lay off employees. And
they weren’t the only ones – over a
third of Queens residents say they or
someone in their household lost their
job since the pandemic started. Many
people who are now unemployed are
people of color.
As a representative of over 1,300
organizations in Queens, we support
awarding Resorts World a full-scale
casino license because the move
would also create thousands of union
jobs. As we said, Resorts World is committed
to hiring minority employees
who live in Queens. This move could
quickly create options for employment
and get these people back to
work in the borough where they live.
These jobs would be good-paying, so
after months of uncertainty, they
could finally breathe a little easier
without wondering where their next
paycheck was coming from. Plus, they
would get high-quality healthcare at
no cost to them, in addition to defined
pension plans.
New York’s path to recovery will
be long. By supporting options that
get people back to work and bring
people back to the most diverse community
in the country, New York can
help the borough, the local business
community and the entire region as
they strive to return to pre-pandemic
levels.
Thomas Grech is president and CEO
of the Queens Chamber of Commerce.
The Queens Chamber of Commerce has
served the Queens business community
in New York City since 1911. It’s committed
to “fostering economic growth
and prosperity in the most diverse community
in the country by promoting the
interests of business through advocacy,
networking and education.”
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