Gambling Firms Compete for NY Licenses at Recent Showcase Meeting in Albany

With the lucrative prospect of opening up casinos in the state of New York, the potential candidates display their plans at a presentation in the state’s capital.



Albany hosted a meeting where all of the major casinos that are looking to set up shop in the state New York, presented their ambitious projects. All sorts of interesting and grandiose ideas were displayed as they aim to impress the officials before they decide to give out the limited gaming licenses.



The first seven candidates presented their plans to the state panel that will in the end give out four gambling licenses later this year. All of the interested parties vying for the approval gave their very best to display how their projects were both economical and complied with a number of regulations set by the local laws.

Some express worry despite massive interest

The promotional video put forward by Capital View, project planned for East Greenbush, had the narrator saying, “Today, we look to the future. The capital region now stands at the crossroads of history and destiny.”

• 4 licenses are up for grabs


• Hard Rock Café plans philanthropy project


• Casinos of different scales aim to obtain the limited licenses

Despite the considerable excitement and support for the casino projects, some questions were raised by five people that represented the Gaming Facility Location Board. They will make all the most stringent assessment to see if the companies’ plans comply with US gambling laws and then submit their recommendations to New York’s Gaming Commission.



Industry experts have issued a warning stating that the gambling business is somewhat saturated in the Northeast of the US, and may in fact experience lackluster gaming performance. Many of the presentations at the meeting highlighted this important point and it was also addressed by the panel’s chairman, Kevin Law.



“We’re doing this as the whole casino market is examining itself. It’s trying to figure out what is wants to be and where it wants to go,” said Mr. Law during a short break in between the event that lasted throughout the entire day.

Companies showcase strong points

All of the gaming companies showcased full and objective graphs and statistics pertaining to their potential future developments. Many of the individuals present at the meeting were taken aback with the impressive and ambitious projects that could come to fruition.



An illustration was also presented by the chairman of Hard Rock Café, James F. Allen. Gambling news reports that he pointed out the locations of the Café in his presentation and emphasized on the company’s extensive markets and global success. “The Hard Rock brand is the preferred brand of choice. That means something.”



The company has been around since 1971, which has caused it to evolve over time and become increasingly aware of social responsibilities and needs. Mr. Allen stated that his company is looking to push forward with a $280 million project on the Hudson River, which is part of the environmental philanthropy titled Save the Planet.



Mr. Allen posed a rhetorical question after his presentation, that made his social intentions more clear to the people present at the meeting. “Back in 1971, who was thinking about saving the planet?”

Small and big casinos vying for licenses

The event involved discussion about two areas of where the potential casinos would be located. An L-shape area that contains the Southern Tier that is close to the Pennsylvania border, and a small region nearby to Lake Ontario, while the capital region was mainly reserved for smaller casinos.



In order to sway the official personnel at the meeting towards their plans, many companies presented their target areas as economically-stricken as possible. Essentially, they wanted to showcase that the potential development areas are in dire need of economical refurbishment and that they are just the ones to change that with their projects.



“The historical trends are bad. The projected trends are also bad,” argued Nicole Dunn, who is an analyst that talked about the negative conditions in the Binghamton area. Dunn was representing the interest of Tioga Downs, a racetrack casino west of Binghamton, as they aim to add slot machines and table games to their current video lottery operations.



Unlike Tioga Downs which has more modest plans, some other casino plan to go all-out with their projects, promising all sorts of fun and entertaining facilities. Caesars’ bid for an NY casino is thought of as another massive undertaking by the ambitious gaming giant. They don’t aim to limit themselves in any way, but rather employ their popular name.