Alpha Changing Name, Focus

Alpha Hospitality Corp. has announced that it is changing the focus of its business, relocating its corporate headquarters, and changing its name to Empire Resorts.To reflect the changes, the company's Nasdaq ticker symbol is changing from ALHY to NYNY as of April 16, the company said. Alpha, which has relocated from Northbrook, Ill., to New York City, said it hopes the changes will help it to cash in on trends in the casino industry. "Our primary mission is to work with our partners, the Cayuga Nation of New York, to complete our goal of opening a casino in the Catskills," said Robert Berman, Alpha's chairman and chief executive officer. New York has passed legislation authorizing three casinos in the Catskills, Alpha said, and the Cayuga Nation is proposing to develop a casino in the area. Alpha said it expects the proposed Cayuga casino to be located closer to New York City than casinos in Connecticut or Atlantic City, N.J. The name change has been approved by shareholders and will become effective May 21, Alpha said.