Capital Region residents voice casino views



Updated: 09/22/2014 5:06 PM
Created: 09/22/2014 9:22 AM WNYT.com
By: WNYT Staff
As any gambler can probably tell you, there's no such thing as a sure bet.

ALBANY - A more than 12-hour public hearing on proposed casinos began at 8 a.m. on Monday at the Holiday Inn Turf on Wolf Road.

East Greenbush Town Board passes casino resolution

 Posted: Jun 12, 2014 11:26 AM EDT Updated: Jun 12, 2014 03:55 PM

EAST GREENBUSH, N.Y. -- The East Greenbush Town Board passed a resolution in support of a casino on Thursday.

Residents have been split on the idea of building a casino; some saying residents haven’t had enough say in where the casino would be built. Others are looking forward to the possible influx of jobs and boost to the town’s economy.

East Greenbush casino plan draws more business support

Michael DeMasi

Reporter-Albany Business Review

More Capital Region business owners, and another local government, have come out in favor of a $300 million resort casino in East Greenbush, New York.

The developers of the proposed casino today announced endorsements fromStewart's Shops Chairman William Dakeand Rose & Kiernan, Inc. Chairman John F. Murray.

"The Casino at East Greenbush will help strengthen its community and provide good paying jobs for Capital Region residents,"Dake said. "We are proud to support a business that shares our core beliefs and we look forward to having a strong partner in our mission to improve the quality of life in upstate New York."
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Do you want to see a Casino in East Greenbush? Why? leave a comment, join the discussion.

New state rule complicates path for East Greenbush casino developers

The East Greenbush Town Board will have to vote a second time on whether to support a proposed $300 million casino, creating a new wrinkle in the intensely competitive process to win a gaming license in upstate New York.

Casino plans continue

Racino owners cross the river

Group decides to bet on a proposal in East Greenbush

By Jordan Carleo-Evangelist

Updated 12:18 am, Tuesday, April 22, 2014

East Greenbush

After months of contentious debate, the owners of the Saratoga Casino and Raceway have abandoned plans for a full-blown casino at Saratoga Springs' 10-year-old racino in favor of a new site off Interstate 90 in East Greenbush.

The move fundamentally resets the chessboard as multiple developers vie for what will likely be the lone casino license handed out in the Capital Region.

Churchill: East Greenbush board sneaked a casino vote Chris Churchill

Chris Churchill

Updated 12:38 am, Thursday, April 24, 2014

East Greenbush

The vote seemed odd. Why was the Town Board in East Greenbush, of all places, backing a casino?

Now we know why. Just days after last week's vote, Saratoga Casino and Raceway said it wants to build a $300 million casino in the Rensselaer County town, on a hill above Route 4 and Walmart.

The chain of events raises two questions: Will East Greenbush residents get to give their opinion on the project prior to a potential state approval? Or did their Town Board just rob them of the chance?

But in East Greenbush, the cart rolled by with the horse chasing after it. The board unanimously approved a resolution before anyone knew the town was in play. There was no advance notice of the vote. It was added to the board's agenda at the last minute.

How and why did that happen?

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More from the Wall Street Journal..

Saratoga Casino shares plans for East Greenbush resort

Created: 04/22/2014 5:55 PM WNYT.com By: Mark Mulholland

SARATOGA SPRINGS - It's an undeveloped 70-plus acre parcel that would be home to a full-fledged casino resort.

Plans call for a 300-room hotel, showroom, cabaret, couple of parking decks, and an 18-hole golf course and spa nearby.

One day after Saratoga Casino and Raceway said they were folding in their bid to bring a resort casino to Saratoga, they said they're all in in East Greenbush.

"It's by far the superior project we're going to see in the region. It's a superior location," said Rita Cox, vice-president of Saratoga Casino and Raceway.

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'Scandal' too strong; 'taint' isn't

Andrew Cuomo

James Featherstonaugh

Governor Cuomo's self-proclaimed and rather smug image of being above and beyond the influence of special interests took a serious hit last week over his infatuation with creating a casino industry for New York.
Scandal is too strong a description, but deep embarrassment and taint are not. The signs of furious backpedaling from a previously giddy association with the Malaysian gambling giant Genting, which already holds the VLT franchise at Aqueduct Raceway, was a sure sign Cuomo and his staff were frantically aware they were heading down a dark alley with the wrong crowd.