Rensselear casino details hard to come by

PHOTOGRAPHER: Haley Viccaro

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Casino proposals

Redacted versions of the five casino proposals for the Capital Region were briefly released Thursday by the state Gaming Commission before being removed from its website due to technical issues:

Unnamed Amsterdam proposal

Howe Caverns Resort & Casino, Cobleskill

Hard Rock Hotel, Rensselaer

Rivers Resort & Casino at Mohawk Harbor, Schenectady

The East Greenbush proposal is not available due to technical issues.

Previous coverage of the competition for a Capital Region casino can be found at www.dailygazette.com/news/capital-region-casino/

The state Gaming Commission released Hard Rock International’s proposal for a casino in the city of Rensselaer on Thursday, but the developers heavily redacted details of the project.

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino is being proposed along the Hudson River at de Laet’s Landing in Rensselaer. The casino would house 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games and an Off-Track Betting outlet.

The project also includes plans for a 100-room hotel, 250-seat Hard Rock Cafe and a Hudson River boardwalk. The project carries a $280 million price tag and is expected to create more than 900 jobs.

But details about the proposal, including minimum capital investment, status of the land and the proposed construction timeline were redacted. Even sections of the cover letter had big blocks of black ink.

The application also did not reveal the operator’s agreement with local entertainment venues or organized labor contracts. The casino’s effects on the host municipality and the plans to differentiate the facility from other casinos also were not disclosed.

According to the state Gaming Commission, sections of the casino application could be hidden from the public as long as those redactions complied with the state Freedom of Information Law.