Bet on more variety at the Aqueduct Racino when it opens.
The New York State Lottery is ready to roll the dice on electronic versions of roulette and baccarat at the South Ozone Park Racino when it opens early next year. These games will also be offered at the state’s other Racinos, including Saratoga Springs, which will be the first to flip the switch in the next month.
Table games are banned in New York, but a State Lottery spokesperson said that the new games are considered “games of chance” and thereby legal because they run off a computer system and are similar to other games already offered.
Also according to their spokesperson, other electronic games like blackjack could be introduced if the new games are successful. They also hope that games like roulette and baccarat will attract younger players, as opposed to the older clientele attracted by video slots.
Stefan Friedman, Genting NY spokesperson, said that the State Lottery is procuring all Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs), including Electronic Table Games (ETGs), and that the Malaysia-based company is merely the vendor and operator and subject to the Lottery’s approval.
“They [the new games] are common in all casinos, and we welcome them into the mix as they will provide variety and will help compete with casinos in other states,” said Friedman.
