WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES APRIL 1, 2021 13
Full-scale casino should come to Resorts World New York City
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
OP-ED
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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NATURE IN CUNNINGHAM PARK
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