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The plan to legalize gambling and build anywhere from three to seven casinos across the state of New York continues to be a complicated one. Times Union is reporting that Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out the details for his casino plan last week, and appears to be keeping his promise on a minimum five year moratorium on any New York City development.

For the most part, the plan puts down on paper much of what Cuomo has already said he hoped to see from casino legislation, and seeks to provide a framework for a deal before session ends on June 20. In opposition to lawmakers’ wishes, however, he continues to push an independent panel be created to decide potential locations. The five-member nonpartisan panel would feature an appointee from the governor, the attorney general, legislative leaders and the comptroller, and would be charged with weighing the economic benefits of particular locations as well as seek out support from local representatives.

Once sites have been chosen by the panel, Cuomo’s plan calls for a Request for Proposals to operate the casino, with the winner doling out a minimum of $50 million in upfront fees to the state. The government would also collect 25 percent of gambling revenues.

The proposal also puts the brakes on any immediate discussions to open a New York City casino, like one being discussed for Coney Island. Cuomo’s bill bars the building of any New York City casino for a minimum of five years after the first casino is built upstate. For opponents of gambling in New York City, which includes Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the moratorium is hardly a victory, since a casino could still be considered for the city down the road.

The last time we reported on the evolving plans to legalize and expand casino construction throughout the state, Republican State Senator John Bonacic, who chairs the Racing and Wagering Committee, tried to leapfrog Cuomo by introducing his own plan in the state legislature. Cuomo’s steals the spotlight and the steam back.

Unlike Bonacic’s proposal, Cuomo’s bill does not contain an expansion of video lottery terminals in Off Track Betting locations across Long Island and nixes his push to make the first casinos in the Catskills.

Source: Jamie Adams via Wikimedia Commons

A state legislator from the Catskills is leapfrogging Governor Andrew Cuomo when it comes to pushing forward the plan to bring casinos to New York State. Times Union is reporting that State Senator John Bonacic, who chairs the Racing and Wagering Committee, introduced a bill that follows and expands Cuomo’s framework for expanding casino gambling.

When it comes to building casinos in New York, Cuomo wants to create three upstate to start and leave four more on the table for undetermined locations. Legislators have so far been lukewarm on the proposal, as they want a say in where casinos will be placed – as opposed to Cuomo, who is pushing for an independent panel to decide.

Bonacic’s plan calls for a total of nine casinos, with the first one being built in the Catskills.

Times Union lists the place and order in which the casino’s would be built under Bonacic’s plan:

Bonacic specifies that the first must be in the Catskills, the second in the Southern Tier and the third in the Capital Region.

The fourth and fifth would also be in the Catskills, unless Western New York is more viable.

The sixth and seventh casinos would be in Queens or Westchester counties, which would give the video lottery terminal “racinos” at the race tracks at Aqueduct and Yonkers a shot at bidding.

Bonacic also calls for video lottery terminal expansion in the Off-Track Betting Corporation parlors of Nassau and Suffolk counties. Both of those OTB operations are struggling financially.

Cuomo’s vision for casino expansion, which is a lot less ambitious than Bonacic’s, calls for the creation of three upstate casinos, each in multi-county zones that don’t infringe on pacts made with Indian nations.

For casino gambling to be legalized, the state constitution would have to be amended, which requires a second passage in the legislature this year, and a statewide ballot referendum this November.

This probably isn’t legal (Source: Wikimedia Commons)

Councilmembers Lew Fidler and Jumaane D. Williams passed legislation that they hope will crack down on illegal gambling in the city. According to the press release, the bill, which passed by a 49-to-0 vote in the City Council, specifically targets illegal activity in new gaming cafes that have been establishing themselves in neighborhoods across the city.

The gaming cafes are often marketed as internet cafes, but also promote sweepstakes and other prizes for playing online games in their establishments. According to the pols, some cafes abuse legal loopholes in the law by offering cash prizes or awards for certain activities. Councilman Williams highlighted the importance of closing these loopholes and what it means for communities across the city.

“The message that Intro 1035-A sends is clear; we will under no circumstances tolerate businesses that attempt to take advantage of legal loopholes in order to prey on lower-income individuals,” Williams said in the release.

The press release explained the  source of this new phenomenon.

Council Members Williams and Fidler have been advocating against the proliferation of illegal gambling at internet sweepstakes cafes since they discovered establishments that had opened in and around their districts, including Lucky Spot NYC, Reels of Fortune and Monopoly Cafe. Since then, they have worked with local community boards to ask DCA to examine this issue, several of these locations have closed down or been investigated by the NYPD. The council members have also discovered advertisements for similar cafes located in all five boroughs.

According to a New York Post report, the NYPD has shut down nine internet cafes since November and arrested eight people affiliated with their operation.

Source: Jamie Adams via Wikimedia Commons

Although the legislative calender for 2013 is quickly ending, Governor Andrew Cuomo is still trying to sort out the question of bringing legalized gambling to the state. Times Union is reporting that Cuomo is using the remaining 23 legislative days to strike a deal.

While Cuomo is hard at work in trying to sort through a compromise that would bring three casinos to upstate New York, the governor couldn’t guarantee that it would happen.

“[C]asinos are among the most complicated” Cuomo said referring to the legislative measures left on his agenda.

While the governor is delaying the proposed plan of fully legalizing gambling and bringing seven casinos to the state, he still thinks its possible to approve three gambling meccas in upstate New York, with the first one being built in the Catskills.

The governor said Election Day 2014 might be better-suited to put a proposed referendum to allow for up to seven casinos before voters because this year’s biggest race is New York City’s mayoral contest. Since he is advocating for just three upstate casinos to be built in the near term, metropolitan area voters might not bother to vote on a constitutional amendment to legalize gambling outside the city.

“That’s a major problem,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo’s delaying of a full-blown push for legalized gambling probably reflects the mixed public reaction on the issue. Polls have shown that a slim majority of New Yorkers asked are against the idea of building all of the proposed casinos upstate, meaning they want one in the city. The same poll also pointed to a contradiction in people’s feelings as it showed that a majority also do not want a casino in the city.

You see, it’s complicated.

Source: Jamie Adams via Wikimedia Commons

We’ve been reporting on the possibility of casinos coming to New York City and New Yorkers’ lukewarm opposition to them. As the mayoral race becomes more a thing, the question arises as to where our future mayors stand on the issue. City and State recently got the skinny on where our would-be leaders stand on bringing glitzy gambling to the five boroughs and here is the breakdown:

• City Council Speaker Christine Quinn (D): While she thinks its a bad idea, if the state legalizes gambling, she said she would consider the possibility of a NYC-based casino.
• Former MTA Chief Joe Lhota (R): Supportive. He believes that the success of the Resorts World Casino in Southeast Queens speaks to the idea that New Yorkers would be excited for a casino if it was located far enough from communities.
• City Comptroller John Liu (D): He thinks its a good idea as long as its not easy to get to. He is worried about people having too easy access and gambling away their savings, so placing the casino in an isolated space, like Governors Island, appeals to him.
• Adolfo Carrión (I): Agrees with Liu. Wants the casino built somewhere on the city’s waterfront.
• CEO of Manhattan Media Tom Allon (R): Against legalizing gambling altogether.
• Former City Comptroller Bill Thompson (D): Wouldn’t support one way or the other. Believes that New Yorkers must decide themselves.

Candidates Bill de Blasio, John Catsimatidis and George McDonald were either not available to comment or declined to do so. We look forward to hearing their views well before the election.

Source: Jamie Adams via Wikimedia Commons

As we’ve previously reported, Governor Cuomo has been pushing to legalize gambling statewide in recent months, but efforts to build casinos within the five boroughs has met stiff resistance, according to a report by Crains New York.

A new poll, conducted by the Global Strategy Group and paid for by the massive Malaysian casino corporation Genting, concluded that, while a slim majority of New Yorkers want to expand gambling, support drops as potential locations are put on the table. And, in New York, support drops even more when placed “in your neighborhood.”

We’ve seen this sentiment expressed by local politicians of Southern Brooklyn, many of whom joined the Stop the Coney Island Casino advocacy group.

A slim majority of New Yorkers polled are against the idea of building all of the proposed casinos upstate, meaning they want one in the city. At the same time, they don’t want it, um, in the city:

The poll showed that a majority of voters were opposed to placing all seven casinos outside of New York City (51% to 44%) and to placing three casinos upstate and none in New York City (53% to 41%.) In other words, those proposals fared slightly worse than if the door were left open to a casino in the city, as Mr. Cuomo recently suggested.

The poll shows favorable voter attitudes towards the idea of turning Genting’s Resorts World Casino in southeast Queens into a full-scale casino, and placing the six other casinos outside of New York City. Half of voters support such a proposal, while 44% are opposed. That is the plan that the company’s high-powered lobbyists are pushing in Albany.

The Global Strategy Group also polled the attitudes of likely 2013 Democratic primary voters, some of whom who could potentially base their decisions in the 2013 mayoral race on candidates’ positions on casinos. A solid 56% of city voters opposed building full-scale casinos in New York City, with 60% opposing building one in Queens, 62% did not want one in Brooklyn and 74% objected to one in “your neighborhood.” Among general election voters (who will be the ones voting on a November referendum), 40% supported building a new casino in New York City and 54% were opposed.

Basically, when it comes to bringing a huge glitzy legalized gambling complex to the city, New Yorkers are conflicted. Where do you stand? And will it effect how you vote for mayor?

The following is a press release from the offices of Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz:

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz (D-Brooklyn), Chairman of the Assembly’s Committee on Alcoholism & Drug Abuse, warned today that Governor Cuomo’s proposal to add ‘Quick Draw’ to 780 new locations statewide and lower the minimum age to 18 “will spell big trouble” without an increase in prevention and treatment programs for compulsive gambling.

“They don’t call it ‘video crack’ for nothing,” Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said of the fast-paced and highly addictive game. “The extra $25 million the state stands to gain from putting Quick Draw in convenience stores will mean a lot less if you end up with a whole new crop of addicts, especially 18- or 19-year-olds, who can’t extricate themselves from the bright lights and instant gratification of the machines.”

Assemblyman Cymbrowitz has been vocal about the state’s responsibility to address the “dark side” of gambling amid the Governor’s push to expand the industry’s visibility upstate with new gaming venues. In December 2012, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz presided over a public hearing that examined programs and services for the prevention and treatment of problem gambling and the potential impact of increased gambling on communities.

There are already an estimated one million New Yorkers who have been identified as problem gamblers, Assemblyman Cymbrowitz said. Data compiled by the Research Institute on Addictions in Buffalo shows that problem gambling increases in frequency during the teen years and continues to rise, reaching its highest levels in the 20s and 30s. To Assemblyman Cymbrowitz, this is precisely the audience that will find Quick Draw machines so tempting.

“This isn’t Russian Roulette. If we’re going to increase gambling opportunities, we have to do it responsibly and with a commitment to address the potential dangers,” he said.

Resorts World Casino at the Aquaduct, in Queens. (Source: NYCGO)

Opponents of a Coney Island casino can breathe a little easier today, knowing that Governor Andrew Cuomo has scaled back his support for casino gambling in New York, and is ruling it out entirely in New York City.

During his State of the State address yesterday, New York’s chief executive said the state should begin with only three full-scale casinos – not seven, as is currently being considered by the legislature – and that all three be established upstate.

“We propose a casino plan to boost upstate development,” Cuomo said. “I believe casinos in upstate New York could be a great magnet to bring the New York City traffic up. They now go to New Jersey, they go to Connecticut – why don’t we bring them to upstate New York?”

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Source: Wikimedia Commons

This week Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver announced he’d support a casino in Coney Island. Wednesday, Marty Markowitz began a coalition backing gambling in Coney Island, according to the Daily News.

“Back in January when I called for casino gambling, at that moment I was like playing blackjack and asking the dealer to hit on 20, but now the idea of casino gambling is coming up aces,” said Markowitz.

Markowitz believes a casino would bring jobs and revenues to the area, but other politicians haven’t been so quick to back the idea because of moral reasons.

State Senator Dov Hikind is opposed to legalized gambling, citing the impact it may have on people in the community.

“I’m deeply concerned about the repercussions in our community. It shouldn’t just be about raising money,” said Hikind.

Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz has voiced similar concerns, but said he would support a casino as long as money is set aside for compulsive gambling treatment programs.

“I support the principle of casino gambling to provide additional revenues to New York State,” said Cymbrowitz.

In order for a bill to be passed to legalize gambling in the city, the state legislature must pass a constitutional amendment to approve the casinos, and then it must be approved by voters.

Coney Island will also have to compete with other locations such as Willets Point in Queens and the Catskills.

Local State Senator Diane Savino backs the casino, but cautioned that legal gambling in New York City is still a long way from becoming a reality.

“The earliest gambling could come to the boardwalk would be Januray, 2014..I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”

Source: jasonsewell/Flickr

BETWEEN THE LINES: Gamblers — the obsessed and the occasional — must be drooling at the prospect of casino gambling coming to Coney Island, so they won’t have to schlep to Connecticut or Atlantic City to satisfy their cravings.

Some politicians and developers might also be salivating with visions of profits and revenues dancing in their heads to pump up state, city and personal assets, hoping a casino would be the spark needed to resurrect Coney Island to the distinction it had as a resort destination before it was transformed into a gaudy amusement area a century ago.

But additional gambling won’t be a certainty until voters have their say.

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