Saturday, January 24, 2015

Community should rally around new casino plan

Dec. 17 was a very bad day the true Southern Tier. In the morning, the state instituted an outright ban on fracking. Then, in the afternoon, the state's gaming commission awarded three casino licenses, with none in the true Southern Tier. The Lago Casino in Tyre, over two hours away, was awarded the license in the "Eastern Southern Tier."

Read the entire story at pressconnects.com

Tuesday, January 20, 2015

Tioga Downs Making Push for Fourth Gaming Licence

There was no poker face needed for Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural during Friday's press conference at his casino. He announced his intentions to open up a fund that would annually give away $1.5 million dollars to organizations and small businesses in the Southern Tier should Tioga Downs receive that license. Read the entire article at mytwintiers.com

Monday, January 12, 2015

Southern Tier lawmakers united by casino hopes

Southern Tier lawmakers are hopeful for a Vegas-style casino at Tioga Downs after Gov. Andrew Cuomo requested an additional license to be awarded for a fourth upstate casino.

The lawmakers initially expressed anger and disbelief that the Gaming Facility Location Board in December awarded a license for the "Eastern Southern Tier Region" to Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre near the Finger Lakes, not considered to be part of the Southern Tier.

Read the entire story at The Legislative Gazette

Gural plans to resubmit Tioga Downs for Southern Tier casino

Vernon Downs owner Jeff Gural said today he plans to resubmit his plans to expand Tioga Downs into a full-scale casino,should state officials decide to solicit proposals in a second bidding competition for the Southern Tier.
Gural said he didn't plan to go back to the drawing board. Rather, he said he wants to make it clearer to the New York Gaming Commission and other officials that his previous investments in Tioga Downs should by counted against those who might propose a brand-new facility.

Friday, January 9, 2015

Southern Tier Casino Rebid Stories

Gaming officials may bet on fourth license

New York gaming regulators are ready to play Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s hand and consider issuing a fourth casino license for the Southern Tier, despite remarks by a site location committee last month that they believed three was the optimum number of casinos that should be built upstate.

When the state’s gaming Facility Location Board in December said they would recommend licenses to the proposed Lago, Rivers and Montreign resorts in Tyre, Schenectady and Thompson respectively, they expressed fears that four casinos, as allowed by law, would be too many, raising the prospect that the facilities would cannibalize one another. Upstate already hosts casinos in sovereign Indian lands and bordering Pennsylvania already has some casinos up and running. | Read the entire story at timesunion.com



4th casino license under review

The state Gaming Commission is "reviewing" a request made by Gov. Andrew Cuomo last month to consider awarding a casino license in what the governor called the "true Southern Tier" after its selection of three licenses bypassed the region.

And while the commission's subsidiary Gaming Facility Location Board recommended three casino licenses to avoid too much competition, a Southern Tier bidder is downplaying the size of the facility he wants to build.. | Read the entire story at timesunion.com



Local casino applicants deserve our praise

When the casino applications were originally announced and being accepted, the Walsh and Gural families were submitting applications for a casino with the intention of helping the Southern Tier economically. Both spent considerable time and money trying to receive the recommendation for a license. | Read the entire story at Press & Sun-Bulletin



Casino License Hopefuls Band Together

A week after the state Gaming Facilities Location Board (GFLB) chose the Lago plan located in Tyre, NY out of three contenders for a state casino license in this area, losing bidders Traditions at the Glen and Tioga Downs joined forces to press Albany for a fourth license to be issued. Initially, the GFLB was slated to issue four licenses, one for each of four districts, but reneged on issuing a license to any casino in Orange County. On Dec. 17, the gaming board awarded permission to apply for a casino license to projects in Schenectady, Thompson, and Tyre. | Read the entire story at ithaca.com



Possible Fourth Casino License in NYS

Governor Cuomo asking the gaming commission to re-open the casino application process in the Southern Tier--which could help save Vernon downs. | Read the entire story at CNYhomepage.com



Governor Cuomo asks Gaming Commission to reopen fourth bid in the ‘true’ Southern Tier

Late Saturday, Dec. 27, it was announced that New York State’s Governor Andrew Cuomo submitted a letter to New York State’s Gaming Commission on Friday to re-open bidding within the ‘true’ Southern Tier Region for a fourth gaming license that was originally included for award with the passage of Proposition One on Nov. 5, 2013. | Read entire story at owegopennysaver.com



Cuomo asks casino board to award Southern Tier license

Just nine days after a state-appointed casino siting board passed over the Southern Tier for a casino license, which led to an outcry from politicians in the region, Governor Andrew Cuomo sent a letter to the board asking its members to reconsider their decision and grant another license to the economically depressed region. | Read entire story at capitalnewyork.com



Local politicians: Betrayed by Albany

Wednesday's decision to recommend a license for a Las Vegas-style casino to an operation in Seneca County came as a shock to the two local businesses whose bids fell short.
But it has local politicians scratching their heads as well. How could a place located nearly 100 miles from Binghamton be considered the Southern Tier? And how can the Southern Tier grab more of Albany's attention? | Read entire story at 12 WBNG Action News

Friday, January 2, 2015

People Celebrate Winterfest, New Year's Eve and More at Tioga Downs

Earlier this month, Tioga Downs was not recommended for a full gaming casino license, with that recommendation going to a project up north in Seneca County.
And on Friday the governor sent a letter to the state Gaming Commission and the location board, to urge officials to accept new applications for a license in what he calls, “the true Southern Tier." Many say, they just don't get it.
"The facility is wonderful. There's a lot of highlights and good programs, I've been to concerts here and other good things and we just enjoy ourselves coming here," said Libby Baker, an Elmira resident.