Only a couple of weeks before the state of New York announces which operators will be awarded casino licenses, a group of Albany officials expressed their support for the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino project. The venue is planned to be located in Rensselaer, right on the bank of the Hudson River.
In addition to this, Rensselaer reportedly promised to make annual payments to Albany amounting to $1.1 million for the period of ten years. The city will be paid due to the fact that it welcomed the $280-million project.
The future new venue will be located at the De Laet’s Landing. The property was estimated to spread over a total of 24 acres.
Apart from the imminent financial benefits that the proposed casino venue will bring to the city, new jobs will be created. What is more, it is expected that the two banks on the Hudson, which are currently not operating, will be reopened.
According to experts, Albany’s support aimed at weakening the position of Rensselaer’s primary rival – the potential new casino Rivers Casino & Resort, which is planned to be located on the bank of the Mohawk River in Schenectady.
Many consider the Albany-Rensselaer partnership as pivotal for the latter city to be awarded a New York casino license. Not to mention that the deal between these two will certainly bring economic benefits to the region. As it has been reported recently, the economies of both Albany and Rensselaer are not thriving right now.
Not long ago, Albany was part of the list of competitors with a proposed casino venue near Thruway Exit 23. When, however, it became clear that there was no chance for this project, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan decided to support the Rensselaer undertaking. It could be said that, in a way, Albany is given a second chance in the license competition, by welcoming the Rensselaer project.
The lobbying activities of all competitors for the four casino licenses are navigated by professional strategy companies. Rensselaer campaign is taken care of by the so-called Mercury. The casino project also involves a partnership between NYS Funding LLC, the Seminole Nation’s Hard Rock Entertainment, the Global Gaming Consulting, operated by the Chickasaw Nation, etc.
Assemblyman John T. McDonald III, Cohoe Mayor and representative of Rensselaer County, and state Sen. Neil Breslin, representing the Bethlehem District, also expressed their support for the Hard Rock project via a letter, sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Mr. McDonald stated that the potential new casino will certainly contribute to the economic development of the area.
A total of four licenses are expected to be granted on December 17 – one for the Capital Region, one for Southern Tier, and two for the Hudson Valley/Catskills.
