Borscht Belts were so last year! On an otherwise quiet President's Day, Governor Spitzer announced that he was authorizing the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to build a casino in the Catskills. The tribe has been planning a casino in Monticello in Sullivan County for many years and the Mohawks agreed to "comply with applicable tax, labor, and health laws (so, things like cigarettes, alcohol and gasoline would be taxed). The deal would give NY State up to 25% of the casino's revenue from 3,500 slot machines, which the NY Times puts at "more than $100 million a year." The Post spins a bigger number: revenue of $4 billion over 25 years.
The casino would be just 75 miles from NYC, much closer than Atlantic City which is 125 miles away or Foxwoods (140 miles away). Besides the 3,500 slot machines, the Mohawks are planning 125 game tables in the 600,000 square foot casino.
Construction is expected to take 18-24 months, if the Department of the Interior approves the plan. However, there a lawsuit was filed last week from a group that includes the Natural Resources Defense Fund and the Sullivan County Farm Bureau, against the casino plans. They are demanding a fuller environmental review, given concerns over traffic, air quality, and sprawl. But other Sullivan County residents and business leaders hope the casino will be happen, noting calling the Catskills a "dying community"
Would you visit a Catskills casino? And here's more about the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe.
