Silver: Name Casino Sites
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By LAURA NAHMIAS
New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver said Thursday that the Legislature would have to first decide where to put new casinos before lawmakers approve a constitutional amendment expanding Las Vegas-style table games.The location of new casinos is important because, after the Legislature's expected approval of new casinos this year, the issue would go to voters in a public referendum in November. The amendment would allow up to seven non-Indian casinos but is silent about where.
Mr. Silver's stance puts him at odds with Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who has said voters likely wouldn't know where casinos would go before the referendum. Facing opposition to a casino in New York City, Mr. Cuomo has proposed an initial phase of three new gambling establishments, north of the city and east of already existing Indian casinos in western New York. That scenario leaves open the possibility of a lucrative city casino in the future.
Mr. Silver, a Lower Manhattan Democrat, opposes a city casino and suggested communities should know where gambling establishments could be located before a public vote.
"We're going to have to define...what's contemplated, what areas are likely to be picked, and, what criteria there will be for companies, what the benefit is for local communities that host the facilities as well as the state," Mr. Silver told The Wall Street Journal.
Matt Wing, a spokesman for Mr. Cuomo, said the governor favors siting the casinos upstate where the jobs are "needed most" and wants to locate them through a "national competition of companies that strongly considers the support of local governments and communities." Mr. Cuomo has said such a competition likely wouldn't be finished in time for a November referendum, but Mr. Wing said the governor and the speaker weren't at odds on the issue.
"While this will all be discussed in the budget process, the speaker's comments seem consistent with this proposal," Mr. Wing said.
The Legislature passed a constitutional amendment last year legalizing seven casinos. The same amendment must be passed again this year or in 2014 and then voted on by the public to become law.
Mr. Silver said Mr. Cuomo and state Senate leaders would have to agree on the siting legislation before he would allow a constitutional amendment to pass for the second time.
National gambling companies have said they are less interested in financing an advocacy campaign for the amendment if a city location is ruled out. Without financial help from casino companies, the amendment's prospects are less clear. It is unlikely Mr. Silver would include a city casino in siting legislation.
Mr. Cuomo said in December that he would leave it up to casino operators to help find the right market. Last week, he said the sites would be determined through a competition, which probably wouldn't be completed before the referendum.
Mr. Silver said Mr. Cuomo and lawmakers would have to personally advocate for the passage of the amendment in the referendum. "The governor has the bully pulpit," Mr. Silver said.
Mr. Silver said national gambling companies would eventually agree to build outside the city. "I believe truthfully that the major gambling companies in this country will eventually...see the tremendous market that's available, and they will come in and support it as well," Mr. Silver said.
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LI Confidential
> Stop scratching on holidays
Stop scratching on holidays
Published: June 1, 2012
Off Track Betting in New York State has been racing into a crisis called shrinking revenue. Some people have spitballed a solution: Don’t close on holidays.
New York State Racing Law bars racing on Christmas, Easter and Palm Sunday, and the state has ruled OTBs can’t handle action on those days, even though they could easily broadcast races from out of state.
“You should be able to bet whenever you want,” said Jackson Leeds, a Nassau OTB employee who makes an occasional bet. He added some irrefutable logic: “How is the business going to make money if you’re not open to take people’s bets?”
Elias Tsekerides, president of the Federation of Hellenic Societies of Greater New York, said OTB is open on Greek Orthodox Easter and Palm Sunday.
“I don’t want discrimination,” Tsekerides said. “They close for the Catholics, but open for the Greek Orthodox? It’s either open for all or not open.”
OTB officials have said they lose millions by closing on Palm Sunday alone, with tracks such as Gulfstream, Santa Anita, Turf Paradise and Hawthorne running.
One option: OTBs could just stay open and face the consequences. New York City OTB did just that back in 2003. The handle was about $1.5 million – and OTB was fined $5,000.
Easy money.
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