Press
Statement of Jeffrey Levine, Founder and CEO of Levine Builders and Partner in
Aqueduct Entertainment Group, LLC:
January 29, 2009
"Aqueduct Entertainment Group is honored to have been selected to operate the video lottery terminals at Aqueduct racetrack. As we have said since day one, Aqueduct Entertainment Group has the best team to design, develop and operate the facility. We know we will be a great partner with the state and the residents of Queens for years to come. We look forward to completing the memorandum of understanding and beginning construction."
Crain's Insider: Minority Biz Group Bets on AEG
October 10, 2009
The Minority Business Leadership Council has endorsed the Aqueduct Entertainment Group's bid to build and run a slot parlor at Aqueduct Racetrack. In a letter to Gov. Paterson, the group's co-chair wrote that the AEG bid would "deliver the most by way of community benefits for the project area residents and create the most opportunity for businesses owned by them." Gaining support from the state's umbrella organization of minority business groups could help AEG - which includes minority co-developers The Darman Group and Empowerment Development Corp. - in a battle in which an African-American governor and Senate president are two of the three main decision-makers.
Rival groups bid up offers for Aqueduct Racetrack:
August 23, 2009
...Plenty of buzz, but no obvious front-runner... read more (PDF - in new window)
Aqueduct bidder challenges Wynn:
August 23, 2009
...The Turner Construction-led Aqueduct Entertainment Group bidding to create an Aqueduct "racino" says it could have 1,200 video lottery terminals operating by April... read more (PDF - in new window)
From WAMC Northeast Public Radio:
August 18, 2009...Bidders for the rights to build and operate a racino at Aqueduct Racetrack have increased money they're prepared to offer state... Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports...read more
Handicapping the bids to bring gambling to Queens:
August 3, 2009...Six groups submit plans to the state in a closed-door process; SL Green, Aqueduct Entertainment Group and Steve Wynn emerge as early favorites... read more (PDF - in new window)
From the Queens Chronicle:
July 23, 2009...As the first bidder to request a meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, AEG put the buzz word "profit" on the backburner to focus on a different one, "community:" a term that would resonate with hundreds of residents more concerned with traffic and their neighborhood's quality of life than capital gain... read more
From the Daily News:
July 23, 2009..."We want to make it a place that both reflects the old New York and the new New York and the community within which it sits, which is Queens," said Bob Blakeman of PS&S Design, the project's architect... read more