To celebrate the occasion, hundreds of South Ozone Park residents, labor union members, horsemen and community leaders, including Governor David Paterson, joined the head of Genting New York for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Resort World New York.
Plans call for 4,500 video slot machines, a food court, on-stage entertainment and an outdoor event space.
The first 1,600 video lottery terminals are slated to be open by May, and the entire project should be finished in 18 months.
The casino is expected to generate a million dollars a day in revenue for the state, with the project creating 1,300 union jobs and 800 permanent jobs.