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Westchester's Empire Casino in County Generates More Tax $$ Than Las Vegas and A
Posted on Saturday, August 11 @ 08:00:00 EDT by jfbailey
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WPCNR QUILL & EYESHADE. From Westchester County's Empire City Casino. (Edited) August 8, 2012
Legalizing "anything goes" gambling houses across the state could ease New York revenue woes considerably, according figures released by the Empire City Casino this week.
The New York Gaming Association is a bigger winner with a bigger handle than Las Vegas and Atlantic City combined without the big time games Nevada and New Jersey have.
NYGA members generated $620 million in tax revenue for New York during the first six months of 2012. By comparison, the Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City, despite having full-fledged casinos and more combined gaming activity than New York, only generated $329 million for Nevada and New Jersey. That’s approximately $291 million fewer dollars than New York Gaming Association members.
Westchester County's Casino is doing very well, too. The Yonkers-based casino at Yonkers Raceway generates one third of all education dollars raised through New York State gaming in July.
Empire City Casino had another winning month in July according to recently released data available on the Division of Lottery’s website. Of the nine racetrack casinos statewide, Empire City Casino was responsible for generating $23 Million, nearly one-third of the $71 Million raised for education this month through gaming, in partnership with the New York State Lottery.
In addition to directly funding New York’s public schools, the monthly revenues continue to help keep property taxes down for all New Yorkers by offsetting the cost of education.
“One of every three dollars generated for education this month in gaming was done so right here at Empire City Casino,” said Tim Rooney, Jr. of Empire City. “We have produced well over $1.5 billion dollars for education since opening and we look forward to increasing that support for schools in Yonkers and across this state.”
With seven million visitors a year, Empire City Casino has become a favorite entertainment destination in the tri-state area.
In addition to more than 5,300 slot machines and electronic table games offering roulette, craps, baccarat and sic bo, Empire City has year-round live harness racing, two restaurants, and live entertainment six days a week which includes everything from karaoke, comedy nights, jazz & blues, salsa and great party bands. Their first ever summer concert series, which continues through August, has brought in top tier talent such as Spin Doctors, The Marshall Tucker Band, Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo, and the Village People.
Currently undergoing a $50 Million expansion slated to open this fall, Empire City will be adding 30,000 square feet of additional gaming space, two new restaurants featuring nearly one hundred beers brewed right here in New York, dueling piano entertainment, antique bowling lanes, and much more.
“Empire City Casino continues to prove its worth and contribution to Yonkers and New York State,” said Mike Spano, Mayor, City of Yonkers. “These dollars generated by Empire City provide one of the greatest sources of educational funding for our students and their future, and we support the Casino’s ongoing development which will serve our schools and our City.”
To put these July revenues for education into perspective: Empire City Casino supported the equivalent of 1,977 teaching jobs in the month of July alone. New York State Department of Labor data indicates that the average monthly salary for elementary and secondary school teachers in New York is approximately $5, 800.
In addition, over $4.5 million was generated to support businesses connected to the racing industry, including family farms, the preservation of open space and over 35,000 jobs in the racing and breeding industry such as veterinarians, breeders, barn managers, trainers etc.
Statewide, the nine racetrack casinos that comprise the New York Gaming Association (NYGA) generated significant funding for education, contributing over $71 million in education aid and supporting over 12,000 teachers’ jobs in July alone.
Last month, NYGA announced that its members have generated nearly double the amount of tax revenue for their home state than Las Vegas Strip and Atlantic City casinos combined, according to statistics covering the first six months of 2012.
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