According to a press release received by Mercury LLC on Tuesday, hundreds of New Yorkers from across Upstate New York united at a rally at the State Capitol today in opposition to what the release described as the job-killing Lago Resort & Casino, which would threaten the future viability of the Finger Lakes Race Track and put thousands of jobs at risk from Oneida to Ontario counties and beyond. The workers called on the New York State Gaming Commission to reject Lago’s application for a gaming license because the facility planned for Seneca County.
Chris Riegle, president and general manager of Finger Lakes Gaming, said, “We supported Governor Cuomo’s vision for expanded gaming in New York State. Healthy competition means more jobs and revenue and a better quality of life for all Upstate New Yorkers. The Gaming Commission’s Lago decision, however, is a complete distortion of the Governor’s vision. Shifting jobs from one community to another is not a smart economic development strategy. We are all here today to protect our jobs and communities and call on the Gaming Commission to get this right and say no to Lago”
Dana Sovocool, vice president for Human Resources, Oneida Indian Nation, said, “It is my job not only to safeguard the well being of our employees, but also to help make sure Central New York preserves a dynamic workforce that sustains the local economy. That is why I am here today to call on the Gaming Commission to reject the proposal for a new private casino in Tyre. The cannibalization that Lago admits it will undertake will likely create significant turmoil for thousands of workers, and undermine our longtime efforts to create a stable, secure and vibrant labor force for the entire region. Over the years, we have pursued a high-road form of workforce development – one that seeks to avoid churn, turnover and displacement, and instead consistently invests in our employees and views them as part of a family. We are here to stand up for our family and say no to Lago.”
The release continued that by its own admission, the Lago Resort & Casino will corrupt that vision by drawing a majority of its revenue from existing facilities across Upstate. Studies have shown that development of Lago would result in a loss to the state of approximately $105 million in gaming revenues by existing facilities and a loss of more than 2,500 direct and indirect jobs. According to one study released in the fall, Finger Lakes “would see 50 percent cannibalization of its GGR and this level of cannibalization would call its continued existence as a gaming operation into question.”
In making its decision earlier this year, the state Gaming Facility Location Board rejected applicants from Orange County because they would cannibalize existing facilities in New York City and Yonkers, while hurting the prospects of the Catskills casino – yet ignored Lago’s own admission it would cannibalize existing facilities.
Farmington Chamber of Commerce President John Malvaso stated, “The Farmington Chamber of Commerce supports expanding gaming in New York because it will provide much needed jobs for Upstate. But killing jobs in Ontario County in favor of jobs in another community is not in line with the Governor’s vision and certainly not how you revitalize the Upstate New York economy. Building a casino in Tyre is not a good economic development strategy for Upstate New York. The gaming commission needs to right this wrong and say no to Lago.”
“For two decades, Central New York has benefited from a carefully planned gaming economy designed to grow public revenues and increase employment even in downtimes, and that success should not be jeopardized,” said Steven J. DiMeo, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE. “We know from recent history that when it comes to gaming, oversaturation and cannibalization can result in an epic economic disaster. This is exactly what the Lago Casino threatens to do – which is why the State Gaming Commission needs to Say No to Lago.”
Rome is home to many employees of Turning Stone Resort Casino and Vernon Downs Casino and Hotel, less than 15 miles away from both properties. Lago could have a devastating impact on the economy of the Rome area, and all of Oneida County. The Board of Directors of the Rome Area Chamber of Commerce has urged the State Gaming Commission to reject the proposal for the new casino facility in Seneca County.
“It’s hard to understand why the Location Board would protect jobs downstate, but put more than 1,200 jobs at risk upstate,” said Rome Area Chamber of Commerce President William Guglielmo.
Guglielmao added, “The establishment of a casino in Tyre would not be a case of friendly competition; it would be a direct and deliberate drain on a struggling economy less than an hour down the road. Economic development efforts should diversify and strengthen upstate New York, not pit one region against another. Growth in one region should not be at the expense of another, and should not tear apart success that has been achieved by neighboring communities.”
In the meantime, while the Lago Casino project continues to be debated, Vernon Downs’ owner Jeff Gural has released a statement clarifying their official position on the matter. This comes just after a minority owner of Vernon Downs, made a statement to the media earlier this week backing Lago.
“Mr. Greenberg owns an extremely small percentage of Vernon Downs, is not involved in the daily operation of the property and his unsubstantiated statements and opinions do not reflect that of Vernon Downs, Tioga Downs or American Racing and Entertainment, LLC,” said owner Jeff Gural.
Gural added, “We want to let the public know that we have not taken a position on the matter involving the Lago Casino. We trust that state regulators will determine the appropriate course of action on the project once all factors are considered. Obviously cannibalization is a concern but for the moment our focus is on the Tioga Downs expansion project in anticipation of the full gaming license.”
“We are continuing to effectively operate Vernon Downs to best position it for the future and as winter sets in we hope the new indoor garage will make it easier for our customers to visit,” Gural added. Vernon Downs is located in Vernon, N.Y.
Tioga Downs recently broken ground on its own expansion in anticipation of receiving the state’s final full casino gaming license. The official gaming licenses are expected to be issued to the four New York State Gaming Facility Location Board recommended locations at the end of this year.
