The New York casino market could be growing as a fourth location is considered, but approvals at one of the sites already selected may slow down development.
Tioga Downs racino owner Jeff Gural is optimistic about the likelihood of winning a casino gaming license and expanding his Tioga Downs operation.
Gural espoused optimism regarding a meeting with New York Gaming Commission officials and was confident a September 15 public hearing over his plans to expand his racing and gaming facility into a full casino enterprise would go well, he told the Associated Press.
Gural got a second chance to pitch his casino plan to the New York Gaming Commission, which eight months ago turned him down in favor of the Lago Resort & Casino in Finger Lakes, the Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, and the Montreign Resort Casino in the Catskills.
Gural pointed out Tiogo Downs accounted for $295,000 in tax revenues for the Tioga Center Central School District, $83,460 for the Southern Tier Veterans Support Group, and $22,080 for the Food Bank of the Southern Tier, and much more would come from an expanded operation, Gannett reported.
The proposed $147 million expansion of the Tioga Downs racino would add table games, 160 hotel rooms, an outdoor concert venue capable of seating 10,000, and two restaurants.
Gural expects general support locally for his proposed full casino and said he was confident a public hearing scheduled for September 18 would go favorably.
Meanwhile, the owners of the stalled Lago Resort & Casino project in Tyre say local wetlands, water supplies, and wildlife area will be protected against any harm if their casino project continues.
“We have said since day one that we intend to be good neighbors and that commitment has never wavered,” said Thomas Wilmot Sr. of Wilmorite in a statement September 9.
He said Lago is about increasing employment and tourism opportunities, boosting local revenues while helping the local economy and “the environment of this magnificent region.”
A state appeals court in July nixed an environmental review of the project that the Tyre Town Board approved, necessitating a new one and a public hearing.
Casino partners Wilmorite and Peninsula Pacific submitted a 3,000-page environmental impact report to Tyre officials and await results of their second review.
The proposed casino would encompass 195,000 square feet for 2,000 slot machines and 85 table games with an adjacent 265,000,000-square-foot hotel with 207 rooms, restaurants, a spa, and pool area.
