Nassau OTB hires Las Vegas consultant for planned mini-casino

Nassau Regional Off-Track Betting has hired a Las Vegas research group to provide consulting advice as it prepares to build a mini-casino with 1,000 video slot machines and table games.

Union Gaming Analytics LLC won a request for proposals by Nassau OTB and will help it select the location of the gaming parlor.

Nassau OTB President Joe Cairo said the firm will also help OTB select an architectural and engineering consultant that will analyze the electrical, plumbing, heating, air conditioning and parking of the proposed gaming parlor locations.

Cairo said Nassau OTB has narrowed their list to three possible county locations -- which he declined to identify -- and a final decision is expected by the end of September.

Union Gaming will also perform economic impact studies, create a managerial business plan and offer marketing advice on the video lottery terminal rollout, he said.

"They have expertise in the gaming industry, and that's what we need right now," Cairo said.

The state last year granted Nassau and Suffolk counties the authority to build one gaming site each with up to 1,000 video lottery terminals, which include slot machines and table games such as roulette, baccarat and blackjack.

Cairo hopes to open the gaming parlor next year. Nassau expects the facility to generate $19 million in 2015.

Suffolk selected Delaware North, a Buffalo-based gaming and hospitality company, to operate its casino, but has not selected a site for its parlor.

Union Gaming will consult with Nassau OTB for 12 to 18 months and be paid a maximum of $150,000, Cairo said.

The agency, Cairo said, interviewed three consultants, all from out of state, but selected Union Gaming because of its experience and track record.

The firm has worked for the New York Gaming Association, Playboy Enterprises, MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment.

Rich Baldwin, managing director of Union Gaming Analytics, declined to comment.