State official OKs contract for video slot machines at New York’s Aqueduct race track

Video slots contract OK’d for Aqueduct race track

ALBANY, N.Y. — More than 1,000 video slot machines could soon be whirring at the Aqueduct race track in New York City now that a long-delayed contract has gotten final approval from the state comptroller.

Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli said Monday he has approved a contract for Genting New York LLC to build and operate about 4,500 of the machines at the thoroughbred track in Queens.

That gives the company 10 days to pay the state $380 million upfront. State officials say they expect to eventually get $1 million a day in revenue.

The subsidiary of Genting Malaysia Berhad proposed opening a preliminary phase with 1,600 slot machines six months after contract approval. The rest would follow six months later on two floors, with a pedestrian bridge to the Aqueduct subway station.