It's Official: Queens is the New Vegas, Minus the Weather

We've crossed the finish line, and the Queens "racino" has won by a nose. Buffalo company Delaware North will be allowed to turn the downtrodden Aqueduct Racetrack near JFK (it's on the A Train!) into a glitzy new gambling/dining/entertainment megadestination. Delaware North beat out other bidders by offering the cash-strapped state more money up front, but State Senate Republicans tried to delay the deal. The Times reports that the issues have been resolved, and Delaware North will start construction in early 2009. The casino (no tables games, just those video slots), restaurants and parking facility will be done about a year after that, and the whole thing will be built in phases over five years. The complex will include at least 300 hotel rooms and a 60,000-square-foot conference center, which leads us to this question: Is the moment you get the e-mail that your company is having a conference at a casino in Eastern Queens the exact moment you quit your job, or do you give it until the end of the day?
· Casino Complex to Be Built at Aqueduct [NYT]
· Aqueduct Racetrack coverage [Curbed]For more stories from Curbed, go to curbed.com.