Casinos pitched near New York City worry Catskills
Michael Hill Associated Press
WOODBURY, N.Y. (AP) — Ailing areas of the Catskills finally close to landing a casino after decades of trying could be looking at sharing the jackpot with casinos closer to New York City.
Five of the 22 development groups that paid a $1 million application fee said they were looking at Orange County, within the edge of the city’s commuter belt. Big-name operators such as Caesars Entertainment and Genting Group believe a casino on the outskirts of the nation’s largest metropolitan region could win big.
But it also would siphon business from any companion casino built in the heart of the Catskills — a less prosperous area explicitly mentioned by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and others as an intended beneficiary of New York’s gambling expansion.
With final bids due June 30, the state board choosing casino sites could be weighing applicants in prime locations against those offering help in needier areas like the Catskills’ Sullivan County.
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