In the midnight hour, it looked as if the inclusion of video slots at Aqueduct was in the bag, but the option was pulled at the last minute, as Queens minister Floyd Flake and rapper/entrepreneur Jay-Z dropped out as partners in AEG (Aquaduct Entertainment Group). “The deal is circling the drain. It’s on its way to being dead,” an insider told The New York Post, using a colorful metaphor.

Controversy has been surrounding AEG’s acquisition of the bid, as Russell Simmons publicly spoke out against AEG as the selected firm for the project, with reports of political corruption accusations currently being looked into by state and federal authorities. The inclusion of video slots at Aquaduct would have required extensive background and financial checks to obtain the gambling license, even extending to any business dealings with other individuals.

Sources say that these extensive investigative practices, along with heat from Flake’s church, are what caused he and Jay-Z to pull out, never applying for the gambling license. By not applying for the license by the deadline, Governor Patterson’s Office would be forced to pull support for AEG, which they did not. Strangely, Paterson said that on the advice of his lawyer, he was distancing himself from any further matters involving AEG.

“I’d rather not talk about that — but it had nothing to do with the process or my role,” Paterson told the Post. [Source: NYP]