More than a year after initially approving three casino locations in rural areas of New York, the state’s gaming regulators still have not approved the three gaming operations or a fourth on in the Southern Tier.
New York lawmakers say the approval process is taking longer than expected, and the owners of a proposed casino in Lago postponed their planned 2016 opening to 2017, after waiting more than a year for final approval.
“Casino licenses have been spoken about in New York state since the days of Nelson Rockefeller, so it feels like we’ve waited generations for this to happen,” Empire Resorts Executive Vice President Charles Degliomini, told the Associated Press. “But this is a highly regulated process and they’re going to get it right.”
Empire Resorts is awaiting approval of its proposed Montreign resort casino in the Catskills, as state gaming regulators complete background checks of the owners of the proposed gaming operations.
In order to boost economic conditions in rural areas, particularly in Upstate New York and along the Southern Tier, state officials want to issue up to four gaming licenses. Three preliminarily were approved last year, but they still await final licensing from New York gaming regulators, including the proposed Montreign resort.
State officials anticipate final approval of gaming licenses for the Lago Resort and Casino in the Finger Lakes area, the Rivers Casino in Schenectady, and the Montreign. A fourth applicant seeking a casino in the Southern Tier is further behind in the process and likely will have to wait longer for final approval.
A spokesman for the New York Gaming Commission said the delay in issuing the licenses is about normal and that state officials must ensure everything is in place before moving forward with granting licenses for the casino project.
