New York Loves Slots

Confounding its many critics, New York City's lone gambling palace, the Aqueduct "racino" in Queens, is blowing away national records. The Aqueduct opened last fall after being championed by Gov. Cuomo, who has vowed to bring full-on casinos to town.

The Resorts World racino at Aqueduct is now tops in the nation in slot machine revenue, generating $57.5 million during May, according to state gambling data. Resorts World’s haul eclipsed the powerhouse Mohegan Sun casino in Connecticut, which took in $55.4 million. Foxwoods casino in Connecticut ranked third with $50.4 million in revenue from the one-armed bandits. “Resorts World’s model has maximized gaming revenue for New York State in a manner that has not been replicated by any other facility in the nation,” boasted Michael Speller, president of Resorts World Casino New York City. Resorts World is controlled by Malaysian gambling giant Genting.

About half of the Aqueduct's revenue goes to the state education fund. Some attribute its popularity to the 2010 collapse of New York's off-track betting parlors, which had dozens of locations throughout town.