Lobbyist makes case for the expansion of racinos (with video)

PHOTOGRAPHER: David Lombardo

A $40 million planned expansion of the Saratoga Casino and Raceway could go forward without live-table gaming, says a lobbyist representing the state’s nine racinos.

At a Business Council of New York function Friday, New York Gaming Association President James Featherstonhaugh said he believes the planned hotel and facilities expansion at Saratoga “will at some point move forward.” He later added the caveat that if it is not awarded live-table games and is forced to compete with a full-scale casino nearby, whether in Massachusetts or the Capital Region, the Saratoga racino might have to reassess whether it still makes sense to expand.

Saratoga racino spokeswoman Rita Cox previously told The Gazette the expansion wouldn’t be started until casino gambling was approved for the site. The expansion was announced in January, with plans including an events center, hotel and new dining facilities.

Racino officials did not respond Friday to a request for comment on Featherstonhaugh’s remarks.

New York is currently moving toward legalizing live-table games at seven locations, but the sites haven’t been chosen yet and Gov. Andrew Cuomo has indicated there will be an open competition to determine who would operate those casinos.

The promise of an open competition was stressed Monday by Cuomo, who spoke critically of the nine racinos and said they didn’t have an inside track on securing live-table games.

On Tuesday, Cox said she wasn’t sure what prompted the governor’s critique and highlighted the fact that the Saratoga casino has had eight years of an exemplary record with a good working relationship with the state. She added that her group was still pursuing live-table games.

Prior to the governor’s remarks, Featherstonhaugh said the nine racinos seemed like an “easy choice” for live-table games, but afterward he stressed that he wasn’t discouraged. He said Cuomo’s words were not “unpromising” and felt his members “could win any contest” if live-table games were awarded competitively.

He noted that his nine members all have shovel-ready proposals that could be implemented as soon as live-table games were legalized, which would be November 2013 at the earliest. He added that their projects wouldn’t require any state aid or reduction in taxes and would create thousands of jobs, be spread out enough to benefit a wide area and keep gambling at proven locations.

“It is the only proposal that can be executed in 2014,” Featherstonhaugh said.

There is still the limitation of the wording of the proposed constitutional amendment — it allows for live-table games at only seven locations. The Gaming Association continues to advocate that nine sites would be best and it was Featherstonhaugh’s understanding that a new constitutional amendment would have to be introduced to make this happen.

If the amendment allowing only seven locations is advanced further, he said it would be up to each racino to decide how to proceed.