Indian Gaming > New York governor for off-reservation casinos

August 28, 2009

New York governor for off-reservation casinos

New York Gov. David Paterson (D) says off-reservation casinos will create thousands of jobs and generate about $150 million a year for the state.

Paterson, like his two predecessors, supports tribal casinos in the Catskills, about 90 minutes north of New York City. "There will be a renewed effort to rally stakeholders and make the case publicly that this is in the best interest of the state's economy and specifically for economic-development efforts in the region," a spokesperson told The Lower Hudson Journal News.

The Seneca Nation, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians want to open casinos in the Catskills. The Mohawks and the Mohicans were rejected by the Bush administration but supporters are hopeful now that President Barack Obama is in the White House.

"I am confident that with a new administration we have a new way of thinking about applications that are finite, focused, appropriate for the region and have strong community support," Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) said in a statement, according to the paper.

Assistant secretary Larry EchoHawk visited casino sites in the Catskills on Wednesday.

Get the Story:
Amid budget woes, Paterson to renew push for Catskills casinos (The Lower Hudson Journal News 8/28)