Rally Held to Support Empire City Casino Transition to Full-Scale Site
New York labor leaders led a virtual rally last week to demonstrate growing support for a full gaming license and access to mobile sports betting for Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts, touting its benefits for Yonkers, the Bronx, and the greater Westchester region.
Since its launch in early March, membership in the “A Sure Bet for New York’s Future” Alliance has increased more than twofold, with nearly 60 labor unions, businesses, faith-based and community organizations joining forces in support of a pathway for making 13,000 jobs, $75 million in additional wages, $400 million in private investment, and $1 billion in economic impact a reality for the region.
Leaders maintained a full-scale casino license, complete with retail and mobile sports betting and live table games, will create thousands of new, family-sustaining union jobs, while generating millions in additional annual wages and tax revenue that would directly benefit local communities.
“Think of all of the additional union jobs this would create for the building and construction trades men and women,” said Thomas Carey, President of the Westchester-Putnam Central Labor Body. “A full-scale license means the transition would happen immediately, so we would start to see all of this impact for our unions, and our communities, very quickly.”
“With just days away from the state budget being finalized, we are calling on the Governor and the Legislature to support a full-scale casino license and mobile sports betting access for Empire City Casino by MGM Resorts,” said John Ravitz, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Business Council of Westchester. “The clearest path to provide significantly more revenue for the state, offer good jobs, and support the local community is for Empire City to become a full-scale casino complete with retail and mobile sports betting and live table games. This is a no-brainer for our communities.”
Empire City Casino will return to its regular 10 a.m. to 6 a.m. schedule of operations April 7, but only at 25 percent capacity.
Rick has more than 40 years’ experience covering local news in Westchester and Putnam counties, running the gamut from politics and crime to sports and human interest. He has been an editor at Examiner Media since 2012. Read more from Rick’s editor-author bio here. Read Rick’s work here: https://www.theexaminernews.com/author/pezzullo_rick-writer/