Sullivan County taking key step toward casino

MONTICELLO — Gov. David Paterson is expected to be in Monticello next week to sign a compact with the Stockbridge-Munsee Mohican Indians that will allow the tribe to operate a casino in the Sullivan County town of Thompson.

The tribe owns more than 330 off Route 17 in Bridgeville.

The governor is expected to sign a land agreement with leaders of the Wisconsin-based tribe spelling out details of a pact with New York.

That doesn’t seal the deal, though, because the tribe still will need federal approval to operate an off-reservation casino, and there has been no policy change since the Interior secretary in the George W. Bush administration, Dirk Kempthorne, nixed such plans.

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Long-Planned Aqueduct Casino Project Gets Underway

Officials finally broke ground Thursday on the long-planned and long-delayed casino at Aqueduct Race Track in Queens.

To celebrate the occasion, hundreds of South Ozone Park residents, labor union members, horsemen and community leaders, including Governor David Paterson, joined the head of Genting New York for a ceremonial groundbreaking for Resort World New York.

Plans call for 4,500 video slot machines, a food court, on-stage entertainment and an outdoor event space.

The first 1,600 video lottery terminals are slated to be open by May, and the entire project should be finished in 18 months.

The casino is expected to generate a million dollars a day in revenue for the state, with the project creating 1,300 union jobs and 800 permanent jobs.

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Aqueduct Casino Work to Begin Soon

"All along, I have said that securing this deal and moving ahead with the project at Aqueduct is critical for the future of New York," Gov. David Paterson said in a statement. "The state, in partnership with Genting, has the opportunity to create jobs for the community and to revitalize this area. After almost a decade of delay, this project is finally becoming a reality and all New Yorkers will benefit."

Genting New York officials, after turning over $380 million in licensing fee payments to the state, said they’re prepared to quickly start construction on the Aqueduct casino project.

"We are planning to make this a very impressive entertainment destination for all of New York," said Michael Speller, president of the company that is owned by a Malaysian-based casino corporation.

Speller said construction will begin "almost right away" after final environmental permits are issued for the project, which will feature 4,500 slot machines. He said 1,600 of those devices will be turned on by sometime next spring, with the rest up and running 6 months later. The full project development, which will include restaurants and entertainment space, will come within 18 months later.

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