The New York State Gaming Facility Location Board OK’d plans to expand the Tioga Downs racino in Nichols into a full-scale casino operation.
The three-member board gave the go ahead on October 14, clearing one of the last hurdles remaining for Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural, who still must pass a state background check before receiving one of four state casino gaming licenses.
“I think giving this license was designed to help the Southern Tier,” Gural told the Press & Sun-Bulletin. “The governor made a promise to the people of the Southern Tier, and I always believed he intended to keep that promise.”
New York gaming officials a year ago denied Gural’s application in favor of three other casino projects. But state officials decided to issue a fourth gaming license in the Southern Tier, and Tioga Downs was the only applicant.
A location board member said Gural made significant improvements in his revised $195 million casino expansion plan from a year ago, and strong community support helped to secure the board’s approval.
More than 50 people voiced support for the project during a September public hearing, and the state received more than 2,800 letters of support versus only five opposed, the Press & Sun Bulletin reported.
Tioga Downs officials plan to break ground on the project by November.
