Attempt to advance New York casino plans reaches dead end
A Las Vegas-style casino in Manhattan won’t be coming any time soon after plans to bring forward the development face opposition.
US.- Lawmakers have quashed the possibility that plans to develop three new casinos in New York, including a Las Vegas-style venue could be brought forward.
The initiative faced major opposition from Manhattan lawmakers and was ultimately rejected by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who didn’t want to give Manhattan special rights to speed up the casino plans.
Legislators had proposed to give the Big Apple the right to decide for itself on any proposal for a gaming venue, but Cuomo feared that giving them that power would open the door for more similar requests in other negotiations.
Manhattan Assemblyman Richard Gottfried told the New York Post. “I adamantly oppose any casino in Manhattan. I believe it would be seriously detrimental to the residential and commercial quality of Manhattan.”
However, according to Freeman Klopott, a spokeswoman for New York State Division of the Budget, the bill could be revived this year. He said: “With the influx of federal funding, there was less of an imperative to change the status quo, however, we are continuing to work with the Legislature to see if there is a path forward this year.”
