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Session extended for vote on non-Indian gaming in New York

Friday, June 21, 2013

The New York Legislature extended its session an additional day in order to vote on a bill that puts a non-Indian gaming referendum on the November ballot.

The proposal authorizes four casinos, including two in the Catskills region, according to a press release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). The Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation and the Mohegan Tribe, both from Connecticut, have said they will bid on a casino there.

The bill also ratifies an agreement with the Oneida Nation. The tribe will share gaming revenues with the state in exchange for an end to litigation over land-into-trust, taxation and sovereignty issues.

The tribe has an existing Class III gaming compact. Presumably, a new one with the revenue sharing provisions will be submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs for review.

Cuomo also settled revenue sharing disputes with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Seneca Nation. He agreed to uphold exclusivity provisions in the tribes' existing compacts so there are no legislative changes on that front.

A final vote on the package is expected today.

Get the Story:
State lawmakers to vote on rolling dice for casinos (The Rome Sentinel 6/21)
Chance for casino in Catskills exciting gambling industry (AP 6/20)
Casino vote may come Friday (The Utica Observer-Dispatch 6/20)