Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Tioga Downs invites community to ‘Vino at the Casino’

Tioga Downs invites community to ‘Vino at the Casino’
Special event offers celebration of local flavors

Nichols, N.Y. – October 28, 2015 – Tickets are on sale now for a chance to sample the best beer and wine the region has to offer at the annual Tioga Downs “Vino at the Casino” event set for Saturday, November 7. The entire community is invited to this showcase of the best food and beverage offerings in town. Several breweries and wineries from the Southern Tier will be pouring samples of their best brews and wines for guests to try from 1 – 8 pm.

Local cuisine is being provided by three vendors who were hand-selected to participate. Pacific Mountain Farms and Engelbert Farms are together known for their fresh meat, produce and dairy sourced right here in the Southern Tier. Meanwhile, Crystal City Olive Oils features a wide variety of flavor-infused oils, pastas and more.

The event continues to capture the community spirit even down to the entertainment. Local musician Virgil Cain will be the featured musical guest throughout the event. Virgil is known for being a one-man show who manages to create a full band sound. He performs on the keyboard, guitar and violin with a little help from technology to pull it together. Guests can enjoy a wide range of both original and cover songs in various musical styles. Later that evening, Andrew King will take the stage, performing after the tasting concludes, from 8 – 11 pm.

“We look forward to this event every year, because it highlights the gems of our community and gives our guests a chance to sample so much all under one roof,” said owner Jeff Gural.

A $10 admission fee comes with 15 tasting tickets, which can be used for any combination of beer and wine. A $15 admission comes with 20 tasting tickets. All guests attending the event must be 21 years of age or older. Tickets can be purchased from the Tioga Downs gift shop or all Ticketmaster locations.


Tioga Downs offers live harness racing, video lottery terminals, video poker and electronic roulette. A variety of eateries are also part of the current entertainment complex. Jeff Gural owns Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY and Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY. Tioga Downs is beginning the process of transforming into a full casino gaming resort to serve the Southern Tier and beyond. Tioga Downs is in the process of expanding its facility and workforce to accommodate live casino gaming. In the last decade, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs have created more than 700 family-sustaining jobs and donated millions to nonprofit organizations. For more information on Tioga Downs, please visit www.tiogadowns.com.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Tioga Downs to break ground on expansion, host “High Five” Weekend to celebrate

Tioga Downs to break ground on expansion, host “High Five” Weekend to celebrate
Tioga Downs announces a series of public events for the community to share in success

Nichols, N.Y. – October 20, 2015 – Members of the media and the public are invited to join Tioga Downs and community leaders in a groundbreaking ceremony Friday, October 30 at 3 pm. Tioga Downs is planning a multi-million dollar expansion now that the Gaming Location Board has recommended awarding the state’s final full casino gaming license to the facility. All are invited to a series of events offering a chance to share a Southern Tier High Five with owner Jeff Gural, whose vision and commitment to the Southern Tier is what made the revenue, jobs and countless other opportunities, which will come with a full gaming license, possible.

“We are so excited to begin transforming Tioga Downs into a world class full casino gaming resort,” said Gural. “I am also looking forward to this opportunity to personally thank those who were instrumental in supporting our efforts to acquire this license.”

Following the groundbreaking ceremony, invited guests will attend a private reception with a champagne toast from 3:30 until 6:30 pm. Everyone visiting Tioga Downs that day will be able to celebrate with free cake until 10 pm. Visitors can also bring two canned goods and receive a $5 lunch or dinner buffet. All food will be donated to the Southern Tier Food Bank. The standing Friday promotion, $250 Free Play Hot Seats will take place from 7 to 11 pm as usual. Special musical guest the “Gravel Ding Brothers” classic rock band will perform from 8 until 11 pm.

The celebration continues on Saturday, October 31 with the public Halloween Party from 9 pm until midnight. Cash prizes, including $1,000 for first place, will be awarded for the best costume. Free cake will be offered from 1 until 10 pm, and a $5 lunch or dinner buffet will again be available for anyone donating two canned goods. Gaming incentives include a variety of “hot seat” promotions with the “Scaryday Cat” Cash Hot Seats from 7 to 11 pm where one winner every 30 minutes gets up to $500 cash and special $2,000, $3,000 and $5,000 Cash Hot Seats at 11 pm, 11:30 pm and midnight, respectively. Musical guest “That 90’s Band” will provide the entertainment that evening.

The celebratory weekend culminates on November 1 with Jeff Gural's High Five Sunday Celebration from 1 to 5 pm. Guests who earn five gaming points and high five Jeff at Coasters Bar will receive a free Tailgate Buffet or slice of pizza and a coke (limited to first 500 people). All guests can also enjoy free cake during the party.

Once complete, Tioga Downs will be transformed into a $195 million regional entertainment destination. The expansion will also represent a significant investment in the local workforce in the form of 840 new direct and indirect jobs and $145 million of spending for the State of New York. Always committed to investing in the community, the expansion will allow Tioga Downs to further assist small businesses and charitable causes.


Tioga Downs offers live harness racing, video lottery terminals, video poker and electronic roulette. A variety of eateries are also part of the current entertainment complex. Jeff Gural owns Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY and Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY. Tioga Downs is beginning the process of transforming into a full casino gaming resort to serve the Southern Tier and beyond. Tioga Downs is in the process of expanding its facility and workforce to accommodate live casino gaming. In the last decade, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs have created more than 700 family-sustaining jobs and donated millions to nonprofit organizations. For more information on Tioga Downs, please visit www.tiogadowns.com.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Tioga Downs to receive full casino gaming license

Tioga Downs to receive full casino gaming license
Thanks community for its outpouring of support

Nichols, N.Y. – October 14, 2015 – The New York Gaming Facility Location Board has just selected Tioga Downs for the state’s final full casino gaming license. Tioga Downs credits the outpouring of community, political and public support over the past several months for making this decision possible.

“Many members of the community were instrumental in demonstrating to the State that awarding a license to Tioga Downs would positively impact our region,” said owner Jeff Gural. “I would like to personally thank the selection committee, Governor Cuomo and the many municipalities and community leaders who made this license for Tioga Downs a reality.  In addition, we appreciate every single person who wrote a letter, sent an email or spoke in favor of a full gaming license for Tioga Downs at the public hearing. Your showing of support made all the difference in allowing us to move forward and begin transforming Tioga Downs into a full gaming resort.”

A groundbreaking ceremony and news conference are in the process of being confirmed and scheduled for later this month, those details will be announced in a subsequent advisory in the near future.

Once complete, Tioga Downs will be transformed into a $195 million regional entertainment destination. The expansion will also represent a significant investment in the local workforce in the form of 840 new direct and indirect jobs and $145 million of spending for the State of New York. Always committed to investing in the community, the expansion will allow Tioga Downs to further assist small businesses and charitable causes.

Meanwhile, to thank the community for its support, Tioga Downs will be offering its dinner buffet for free to all guests tonight (October 14), which begins at 4 pm.

“It’s just one small way of saying thanks for believing in us and allowing us to move forward with this exciting new chapter at Tioga Downs,” said Gural.


Tioga Downs offers live harness racing, video lottery terminals, video poker and electronic roulette. A variety of eateries are also part of the current entertainment complex. Jeff Gural owns Tioga Downs in Nichols, NY and Vernon Downs in Vernon, NY. Tioga Downs is beginning the process of transforming into a full casino gaming resort to serve the Southern Tier and beyond. Tioga Downs is in the process of expanding its facility and workforce to accommodate live casino gaming. In the last decade, Tioga Downs and Vernon Downs have created more than 700 family-sustaining jobs and donated millions to nonprofit organizations. For more information on Tioga Downs, please visit www.tiogadowns.com.