Rivers will “generate $65.7 million for statewide school aid and/or property tax relief, $8.2 million for local governments in the Capital Region, plus an additional $8.2 million to be split between Schenectady County and the City of Schenectady.” The panel said Montreign “is expected to generate $82.7 million for statewide school aid and/or property tax relief, $10.3 million for local governments in the Catskills/Hudson Valley Region, plus an additional $10.3 million to be split between Sullivan County and the Town of Thompson.” He said the decisions were based on many factors, but primarily on each project’s impact on their respective regional economy. “This has been the most transparent process, without any outside influence or interference,” Law told reporters.

“We did the best we could with all the information available to us,” Gaming Facility Location Board chair Kevin Law said, denying suggestions that the outcome was preordained down to the surprise decision to only approve one Catskills casino rather than the two permitted by law. The closest location to New York City would be much farther away in Sullivan County, where the Montreign casino would open. The recommendations included casino locations that will offer fierce competition to the already existing Saratoga racino as well as existing gambling operations run by the Oneida and Seneca Indians.īut the panel protected Genting’s phenomenally successful Resorts World Aqueduct racino in New York City by ruling out casinos in Orange County, saying they would “cannibalize” the New York City gambling market. The lumps of coals went to 13 unsuccessful projects in the competition for a casino license, including rejection of the Hard Rock Cafe and Capital View projects in Rensselaer County and Nevele in Ulster County.

Schenectady’s Rivers, Sullivan County’s Montreign and Seneca County’s Lago projects together will earn gross revenues of more than $806 million by 2019, the panel said, pumping millions into their local economies and state and local tax coffers.

ALBANY > New York’s casino siting panel handed out its Christmas list Wednesday, requesting approval of three new Las Vegas-style gambling resorts upstate in Schenectady, the Catskills and the Finger Lakes.

Finger lakes casinos