Queens —
It’s easy to spot the winners in the long-awaited deal to put hundreds of video slot machines in a new racino at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. New York state gets a $380 million licensing fee and future tax revenue to bank on, while Malaysian gaming company Genting gets to put 4,500 video slot terminals just three miles from John F. Kennedy International Airport. Meanwhile, the local economy gets a big shot in the arm from a project expected to generate 1,300 construction and 800 permanent jobs.
To find the probable losers, look no further than the South Ozone Park racetrack’s sprawling front parking lot. There, 1,000 vendors stage the city’s largest flea market on Tuesdays and weekends from April through December.
