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Old Posted Aug 16, 2010, 4:09 PM
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http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/...ews+%28News%29

Racino at Aqueduct will have electronic versions of baccarat and roulette as well as slots



Above, a rendering a the proposed Racino at Aqueduct. The state lottery plans to roll out electronic versions of roulette and baccarat at racinos around N.Y., including Aqueduct.


BY Kenneth Lovett
August16th 2010

Quote:
The new racino scheduled to open in months at Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens will have more than just video slot machines.

The state lottery is ready to roll out electronic versions of roulette and baccarat next month in a racino in upstate Saratoga Springs, the Daily News has learned.

The new games will also be introduced later at the state's other racinos - including Aqueduct.

Stefan Friedman, spokesman for the Malaysia-based company picked to build and operate the Aqueduct racino, said electronic table games will be part of the mix when the Aqueduct racino opens early next year, "subject to Lottery's approval."

The new games "are common in all casinos, and we welcome them into the mix as they will provide variety and will help compete with casinos in other states," Friedman said.

The New York State Constitution prohibits casino table games.

Lottery officials insist electronic versions are legal because they are considered games of chance run off the agency's computer system and similar to other games already offered.

Lottery division spokeswoman Jennifer Givner said the idea is to offer more choices for customers.

The video slots tend to attract an older clientele. Games like baccarat and roulette may lure younger players, Givner said.

If the new games are successful, other electronic games like blackjack could be introduced down the road.

The Aqueduct racino is allowed a maximum of 4,525 video lottery terminals. The table games would count toward that cap.


Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and West Virginia already offer electronic table games, Givner said.

Sen. Frank Padavan, the state Legislature's leading gambling critic, recently sent a letter to the lottery ripping the idea of the table games as "ill conceived and certainly unconstitutional."

He asked for a delay in the implementation so the attorney general's office can render a formal legal opinion.

Givner, citing a previous court case, believes the lottery can move forward without legislative approval.
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