Re-opened bidding unlikely for Capital Region casino

It appears unlikely that bidding will be reopened for the right to run a casino in the Capital Region.

Rensselaer Mayor Dan Dwyer sent a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Monday calling on him to request that the state Gaming Commission re-evaluate the Gaming Facility Location Board’s recommendation for a casino in Schenectady.

Dwyer insists that Rensselaer’s Hard Rock casino proposal was the best in the region, based on requirements outlined in the Request for Application.

Cuomo’s office confirmed receipt of that letter Tuesday.

Dwyer’s letter came a couple days after Cuomo sent a letter to the chairman of the Gaming Commission and the chairman of the siting board asking that the bidding process be reopened for a fourth license to be issued in the “economically ailing” Southern Tier.

Commenting on Dwyer’s letter, Cuomo spokesman Rich Azzopardi said there are “specific circumstances” regarding the Southern Tier that don’t apply to the Capital Region. The Southern Tier was passed over for a casino license earlier this month. Instead, the five-member siting board chose a proposal in the Finger Lakes region, farther north in Seneca County. The two geographic regions were combined into one for purposes of siting a casino.

In his letter, dated Dec. 26, Cuomo said a casino should be developed in “the true Southern Tier,” to help the economically depressed area with added jobs and revenue. The casino announcement by the board came a few hours after a decision was made to ban high-volume hydraulic fracturing, which some in the area had been hoping would boost the Southern Tier’s economy.

Azzopardi said Cuomo has not yet received a response from the Gaming Commission or the siting board. There were two proposals in the Southern Tier: Tioga Downs in Nichols, Tioga County, and Traditions in Broome County. If bidding is reopened, other applicants could emerge.

Under the Upstate NY Gaming and Economic Development Act, the board had the option of recommending licensing up to four sites in the Capital Region, Catskills/Hudson Valley and Finger Lakes/Southern Tier, with one or two licenses in each region. The board received a total of 16 applications in the three regions.

Earlier this month, the siting board recommended licenses for Rivers Casino and Resort at Mohawk Harbor in Schenectady, Montreign Resort Casino in Thompson, Sullivan County, and Lago Resort and Casino in Tyre, Seneca County. The board didn’t back a fourth project for a license.

Rather than seeking an additional license, Dwyer is looking to have the process reopened in the Capital Region, with new members appointed to the siting board who reside in upstate New York. The current members all live in New York City or on Long Island.

“The recommendations made on December 17 by the Gaming Facilities Location Board should be put aside and the NYS Gaming Commission commence an expedited new Request for Application process,” he said in the letter. “Further, the casino gaming effort was designed to assist the upstate economy, I would also request that new appointees be designated who actually reside in upstate and understand the respective communities.”

Dwyer said the board’s choice of Rivers Casino in Schenectady over Hard Rock in Rensselaer “does not make sense.” He is calling on the Gaming Commission to release a “scorecard” detailing the board’s decision immediately.

According to Gaming Commission spokesman Lee Park, documents detailing the siting board’s decision process will be released to the public by Jan. 16. The board is currently reviewing the governor’s request for the Southern Tier.