By Joe Anuta
The owners of the Aqueduct racino in Ozone Park hit the jackpot Friday when thousands of gamblers flooded the only video gambling casino in the state on its opening day.
“I feel kind of lucky,” said Yolanda Carta, who had been waiting in the cold outside the Resorts World Casino New York since 9 a.m., four hours before the official opening, to try her luck. “It’s not too cold to win money.”
Gamblers began waiting in line as early as 7 a.m. to get into the casino, and when the doors finally opened at 1 p.m., people were cheering and running toward the escalators with hands raised like they had already won.
The second floor, known as Times Square Casino, is as loud as it is colorful.
Red recessed lighting in the high ceilings and the multi-colored carpet below act as two bookends to the cacophony from video lottery terminals, which were legalized in New York State a decade ago.
As Blena Tullock rode the escalator up to the second floor for the first time, she gasped.
“It’s beautiful,” she said. “Now I don’t have to go to Atlantic City.”
Others squealed with delight and hurried over to one of the blinking machines with names like “Wheel of Fortune” or “Thundering Buffalo.”
Ida Brasie and Pat Keighron live near the casino and were invited to take a test run of the casino Monday night.
They parked themselves in front of the same machines, which had paid dividends when the stakes were play money, in hopes of finding their luck again Friday afternoon.
“They gave us play money and we had a great time,” Brasie said. “We just want to have fun. You have to know your limits.”
Although some of the gamblers were losing cash, Michael Speller, president of Resorts World New York, touted the economic benefits for the community at a ribbon cutting a few hours earlier. He reminded the audience that the casino, which was built within a year, currently employed 1,110 people and will take on another 200 in the future.
The casino holds 2,485 machines and a food court, and the windows of the centrally located bar look out over the race track.
The casino is open from 8 a.m. to 4 a.m. seven days a week.
Reach reporter Joe Anuta by e-mail at januta@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
