A Long Island-based casino cruise line is trying to raise the stakes for gambling near Queens.
Opus Casino Cruise Lines, which operates out of Freeport, is taking aim at the Aqueduct racino in Ozone Park – slated to open at the end of this summer – touting its off-shore offerings as a better bet.
“We don’t need to pull any customers away from them – Aqueduct needs to pull customers away from us,” said Michael Kaminsky, head of operations for Opus.
“We can offer everything they have. They can’t offer everything we have,” he added.
Opus, which began sailing last July, is able to skirt gambling restrictions in New York State by anchoring the three-deck, 198-foot-long vessel 7 miles into international waters. Once the ship crosses that border, 270 slot machines along with blackjack, poker and other table games start taking wagers.
Companies have attempted similar ventures out of Freeport in recent years and failed, but Kaminsky said Opus can buck that trend.
Roughly a quarter of Opus’ business comes from Queens, despite its location on the South Shore of Nassau County, Kaminsky said.
Flushing resident Neil Hecht, who boards the Opus four times a week, said the cruise is far more convenient than a trip to nearby states that permit gambling.
“It’s a lot easier than traveling three or four hours to Atlantic City,” said Hecht, a part-time financial consultant.
In an attempt to court more Queens residents, Opus has forged a partnership with the Long Island Rail Road, offering discount packages on travel and admission.
LIRR officials said the partnership supports Long Island tourism, adding that the Freeport waterfront “has great potential as a leisure destination.”
“We thought the Opus promotion – which is new this year – could reach an untapped market and bring more people out to Freeport, too,” said LIRR spokesman Salvatore Arena.
Officials at Resorts World Casino New York responded to Opus’ boasts with a stone-cold poker face, focusing on their own project’s long journey to fruition.
“After a decade of false starts and disappointment for the people of Queens, New York City and beyond, Resorts World Casino New York is eagerly anticipating our late summer opening,” said Stefan Friedman, a spokesman for the company.
The Aqueduct racino will create nearly 1,000 jobs, provide $300 million in tax revenue to the state and “serve as a venue that all New Yorkers can be proud of,” Friedman added.
