One week ago today, a wall came crashing down onto multiple people inside Resorts World Catskills in Sullivan County (story here). First responders entered the horrific scene to evacuate injured patients outside to safety. Some people were hurt so badly that they were airlifted from the resort while a convoy of ambulances rushed many others to the hospital.
Resorts World Catskills couldn’t wait to issue an arrogant statement claiming how seriously they take safety and security. It was a cold-hearted statement to brag about their so-called safety priorities immediately after part of their structure tragically came tumbling down onto unsuspecting customers and staff. The cause of the collapse has not yet been announced. Perhaps the materials used were of poor quality. Maybe the casino hired incompetent contractors to build it. It could have been a design flaw. We may never be told the outcome.
The incident may not have been Resort World’s fault. Regardless, the tragedy happened in Resorts World’s house and they are ultimately responsible. An incident like this could have happened anywhere else, but it happened at Resorts World Catskills. We are not necessarily blaming Resorts World for the collapse. We are faulting them for their arrogance.
Innocent people entered the doomed resort trusting they would be safe. Nobody expected to be nearly crushed to death. Whenever someone enters a public establishment, it is assumed that the building is sound. Instead of bragging about how seriously they take safety immediately after their trusting customers were nearly killed, maybe the management should have taken a more compassionate approach.
The correct response by Resorts World would have been: “We apologize to the victims who entered our resort and were injured by a structural collapse. These customers trusted us when they walked into our building but instead they were taken out on stretchers. We wish a speedy recovery to all those who were injured. The victims and their families are in our thoughts during this difficult time.”
However, no such statement came from management. Instead of showing care, they narcissistically went into damage control mode to protect their damaged reputation. Unfortunately, this type of behavior is to be expected from Resorts World Catskills given their history.
The State Gaming Commission reported that Resorts World Catskills collected $112,025,232 in net revenue during just seven months earlier this year. This revenue was all raked in from customers who went to the casino with hopes to win a little extra pocket change but instead forked it over to the house. The small casino consists mostly of slot machines with a few table games. It is a fraction of the size of the region’s larger and more popular casinos.
The Newburgh Free Library Town Branch at the Newburgh Mall was evicted from their location and ultimately had to close down so mall management could make room for an annex of this embattled casino. The library did not have enough money to rent another space, which was more expensive. There was no room for books because gambling is more important.
Resorts World could have made a neighborly gesture by dipping into their $112 million net revenue from the last seven months and paying for a new storefront for the library. This would have been great public relations for a newly arriving business to support the library they displaced. Instead, their arrogant attitude was for the librarians to kick rocks.
Resorts World Catskills desperately needed the the positive reputation this would have created. In August, a customer was stabbed in the lobby of the casino during the middle of the afternoon. Also, the Better Business Bureau has given Resorts World Catskills a response rate of just 33% for addressing complaints filed against them. Review websites such as Yelp are littered with complaints about nearly all aspects of the resort. Many have complained about low pay-outs at the casino, filthy conditions, and minimal staff to tend to the customers. If Resorts World Catskills cannot handle basic chores such as cleaning up, perhaps they need to master this challenge before expanding into the Town of Newburgh.
Customers visiting Resorts World Catskills are not just gambling with their money – They are also gambling with their personal safety.
