NEW YORK is considering bringing casinos into the state. Gov. Cuomo said recently that it may be time for the state to branch out into casino gambling.
A move towards legalizing gambling is also on the cards. Cuomo said his administration was “actively” looking at gaming in. “The gaming issue is an issue that this state has to come to grips with,” Cuomo told reporters at a Capitol news conference.
A handful of Indian-operated casinos already exist in New York, and the state Lottery Division runs video gaming facilities at eight race tracks. Another racino is to open at Aqueduct later this year.
Cuomo spokesman Josh Vlasto said the governor is aiming to achieve a coherent policy for what is now a “disjointed” gambling system.
A constitutional amendment would require approval by the Legislature in two consecutive sessions. It would then go before the public in a referendum.
Similar efforts to approve a gambling amendment died in the Legislature in 1997.
A spokesman for the Oneida Nation, which operates the Turning Stone Resort Casino near Syracuse, said the state’s time would be better spent working to open more Indian casinos, while a spokesman for the company building Aqueduct’s racino supported Cuomo’s plan.
