New York casino application process starts today

 (US).- The bidding process to operate non-Native American casinos in upstate New York starts today and state gaming officials are expected to adopt and issue criteria for judging resort applications. The New York State Gaming Commission and New York Gaming Facility Location Board have back-to-back meetings scheduled this afternoon in New York City and are expected to approve the start of the formal application process that will eventually end with up to four casinos being licensed on non-Native American lands upstate.

Agendas include approving the request for applications and other forms that will be required of casino operators and developers seeking a license. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said during the State of the State speech in January that the application process would start in March. His administration is meeting that deadline today, just under the wire. Cuomo also said the applications would be due in June, and a decision made this fall on who gets a license.

The Capital Region is one of three upstate regions eligible for a casino as a result of a statewide referendum approved last November.

Several proposals could be in the running, including a US$300 million-plus resort casino on the outskirts of Albany and converting Saratoga Casino and Raceway--which has 1,800 video slot machines--into a full-scale casino with live dealers for games such as poker and roulette.

The other eligible upstate regions are in the Catskills and Southern Tier. Up to four licenses are available, but no region can get more than two.

New York City will be eligible for up to three casino licenses in seven years. The law was structured this way to first benefit distressed communities upstate.

Although some of the criteria for awarding the licenses are already spelled out in state law--including a $1 million application fee--other details should become known after today’s board meetings. Those include the licensing fee and determining how local support for a casino will be measured.

The New York State Gaming Commission and Facility Location Board plan to meet separately in New York City to release a Request for Applications (RFA) and other guidelines for applying for up to four commercial casino licenses. Casinos would be sited in the Capital Region, Catskills/Hudson Valley and Southern Tier/Finger Lakes zones. One area could be approved for two.

For state leaders, prospective developers and community groups, Monday marks perhaps the most anticipated date on the state's gambling calendar since November, when New Yorkers voted to amend the state constitution to expand casino gambling. Stakeholders have been waiting anxiously for the RFA document to determine exactly what the state wants in return for a license to run a casino.