Over 2,000 rally against Belmont VLTs

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A crowd much too large for the Floral Park Memorial High School auditorium gathered at the school on Jan. 12 to voice its disapproval of Nassau Off Track Betting’s plan to put video lottery terminals on the grounds of Belmont Park.
People lined the hallways and filled the school library after the 400-seat auditorium quickly filled to capacity. The rally was simulcast in the library. The Belmont Task Force Committee, a community organization, organized the event, and promoted it through its Facebook page, “No Belmont Casino.”

Floral Park Mayor Thomas Tweedy spoke to the raucous crowd, as some attendees held signs proclaiming “No CasiNo” and “We don’t want VLTs.” Tweedy said that a casino would bring an increase in traffic and crime to the community and its surrounding neighborhoods.

“VLTs are known as the crack cocaine of gambling,” Tweedy said. “There is no doubt that increased crime is a blight.” Tweedy has stated that the village would file a lawsuit in an attempt to prevent the plan from moving forward.

While chants of “No casi-No!” filled the auditorium, the crowd included a small group of VLT supporters. Led by East End Civic Association President Patrick Nicolosi, they attempted to have their voices heard with chants of “We say yes!”

Safety concerns
Many supporters of the plan have pointed to the fact that gambling already takes place at Belmont every day during the racing season. But Tweedy dismissed that argument, citing differences between betting on horses and playing slot machines. During the racetrack’s 92-day racing season, wagering occurs in 22-minute intervals for about eight hours. The proposed VLT parlor would operate for 20 hours a day and be open year-round, Tweedy said, adding that that much activity would lead to massive congestion on the streets of Floral Park. As a result, police would have to respond to more traffic incidents instead of dealing with more pressing matters in the community, the mayor said, offering just one example of a casino’s negative impact.

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