Editorial: New York makes right decision on commercial gaming

We wonder how many casinos can be built in the Northeast before the gambling business is glutted. But we recognize the business sense in holding onto casino customers who now are spending money in other states.

So far, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s casino treasure hunt has been a political and financial success. He persuaded the Legislature and public to support casino gaming and pushed through a constitutional amendment that makes it possible. Along the way, he negotiated favorable terms with Indian tribes, collecting on multimillion-dollar payments the tribes owed the state and signing deals for cuts of future profits. In exchange, New York agreed to honor exclusion zones near the Indian casinos.

Finally, New York collected the casino license application fees. We can see why states like the gaming business.

In the end, however, the success of legal gaming in New York will be judged by the success of the casinos themselves and the prosperity of the communities where they are sited. That will require careful choosing.