The New York State Gaming Commission awarded on Monday licenses to the three multi-million casino projects that were approved this time last year by the state Gaming Facility Location Board. The three venues are to be located in the Catskills, Schenectady, and Finger Lakes regions and are expected to open doors by 2018.
All five members of the Gaming Commission approved unanimously each of the expensive projects, saying that developers had met all the necessary requirements. Montreign Resort Casino in Thompson, Rivers Casino & Resort at Schenectady’s Mohawk Harbor, and Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre are expected to create over 3,200 permanent jobs and to generate more than $265 million in tax revenue and additional $136 million in licensing fees.
Montreign Resort Casino is in fact the largest of the three approved projects and is part of a $1.3-billion complex at the site of the former Concord Resort just outside Monticello. When finished, the $630-million resort would feature an 18-story hotel and casino tower with an indoor waterpark, meeting spaces, and a number of food and beverage options.
Empire Resorts and EPR Properties are working together on the project. Charles A. Degliomini, an Empire Resorts executive, told media that they aim at attracting customers not only from the region but also national and international ones. The resort is expected to be completed early in 2018.
Rivers Casino & Resort would be a $300-million hotel and casino complex occupying a 60-acre site on the Schenectady waterfront. It would feature 66 gaming tables, 1,100 slot machines, and numerous accommodation, food and beverage, and entertainment options. The project is part of a larger redevelopment plan for the revival of the former industrial riverfront.
Greg Carlin, Chief Executive Officer of Rush Street Gaming, the company behind Rivers Casino & Resort, said on Monday that they look forward to commencing construction and bringing jobs to the state Capital Region. Mr. Carlin expressed optimism that the resort would turn into “a successful economic engine for the State of New York.” The hotel and casino venue is expected to be opened sometime in 2017.
As for the $425-million Lago Resort & Casino, it would include a casino floor with 85 gaming tables and 2,000 slot machines, a 207-room hotel, a spa, and food and beverage options. Construction on the complex has already begun and developers Wilmorite and Peninsula Pacific said on Monday that the venue is expected to be completed and launched sometime in the first half of 2017.
Commenting on their expensive project, Wilmorite Chairman Thomas Wilmot said that it would create 1,800 construction jobs over the next year and 1,800 permanent ones once the resort is finished. The executive described their plan as a “game changer” for the region.
Earlier this year, a fourth casino project was backed by the state Gaming Facility Location Board. The existing Tioga Downs racino in Nichols is to be expanded to include a 161-room hotel, more food and beverage options, and a concert venue. Apart from the slot machines it currently offers, it would also feature table games. The plan has not been awarded a license yet, as gambling regulators need to make sure that it meets all the necessary requirements.
