The competition to provide casino gaming in upstate New York is over, and the winners are about to receive their licenses after a yearlong wait. Empire Resorts’ Montreign in the Catskills, Rush Street Gaming’s Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady, and Lago Resort and Casino in the Finger Lakes town of Tyre are expected to be licensed at a meeting of the New York Gaming Commission next week, setting the state for full-scale construction to commence. The casinos are expected to begin to open within two years.
More than a dozen companies vied for one of the coveted licenses. The winners were chosen at the end of 2014, and a full year was needed to vet them as suitable for licensing. While it seemed like a long time to the contenders, New York Gaming Commission Executive Director Robert Williams pointed out that neighboring Massachusetts has labored for more than four years in the licensing process.
“There is no delay,” Williams wrote this week in a letter to a county official in the Catskills. “We are moving swiftly.”
Lago spokesman Steven Greenberg said, “We are excited about the opportunity to build and operate the best casino in upstate New York.”
Last year, the commission licensed just three of the four available spots, and an outcry from supporters and a request from Governor Andrew Cuomo forced the board to reopen the bidding. When only one bid was received, the fourth bid was awarded to Tioga Downs racetrack. A license for that facility is expected to be issued in 2016.
