Harmless fun? Bus takes Bronxites to 'racino'

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On a Wednesday afternoon, two good friends boarded a small private air-conditioned bus at West 231st Street and Broadway bound for the nearby Empire City Casino in Yonkers. Elsa and Jean, who asked to go by their first names because they didn’t want to be associated with gambling, have been patronizing the site since it opened in 2006.

Empire City is technically a “racino,” a casino that’s legal because it is on a horse-racing track. Under New York law, the games at these casinos must be computerized — it’s mostly slots, with some computerized table games. Empire City is a very successful racino, raking in $540 million in the 2014-2015 fiscal year.

Including Elsa and Jean, about eight people are on the bus bound for Empire City. Elsa, who is retired, goes to the casino with Jean several times a week. “Yes, [the bus] is very convenient,” she said, adding that the $1 fare is nice.

Empire City offers 16 different bus lines all over the region, but those are mostly package deals in which riders spend $15 to $30 and also get money for food and play. The Riverdale and Inwood Line is one of two that just cost a dollar. The route runs up Broadway from West 207th to West 242nd streets.

“[We play] until the money finish. Sometimes we say okay, I’m going home with this. When she wins,” Elsa said, pointing to Jean, “she doesn’t leave until every penny is gone.”

“They have cafeterias and restaurants so you can get good food if you don’t lose all your money,” added Jean.

Elsa would not say how much she usually spends. She did reveal that the most she ever spent in one day was $50 — but that was too much, she added.

Elsa doesn’t consider going to the casino for a few rounds of slots gambling. For her, it’s more of an activity.

“It gives you something to do as long as you can control yourself,” she explained. “The main thing to be focused on is, don’t let it become gambling. Don’t overspend.”

But she knows people who do not have the same self-control. “I had a friend, she would take her whole rent check and go to the casino,” Elsa said, declining to give more information about the friend.

Empire City Casino, Yonkers, gambling, racino, Isabel Angell
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