New York, Massachusetts Look to Expand Casino Gambling

New York State may authorize the operation of non-Indian casinos, further crowding the already competitive Northeastern gambling market. According to Governor Andrew Cuomo, the possibility of expanded casino gambling will be part of a comprehensive gambling plan for the state.

While New York already has casinos operated by Native American groups (such as the Turning Stone casino in Verona), and raceways that include slot machines (such as Empire City Casino in Yonkers), commercial casinos have not yet been authorized in the state.

A casino bill may be introduced by legislative leaders in the state as early as next month; a similar bill that would have licensed three new casinos was abandoned last year.

The move may put more pressure on neighboring Massachusetts, which has been considering an expansion of gambling in their state as well. Mohegan Sun has plans to possibly build a casino in Palmer, a western Massachusetts town that would be in competition with New York casinos. Many supporters of the Massachusetts casino suggest that the state should move quickly, in order to attempt to beat any new casinos in New York to the market.

In recent years, many states have looked to casino gambling as a way to increase revenues in the face of growing budget strains. While many oppose casino expansion on moral grounds, there have also been increased concerns about the possibility of saturating the casino gambling market in the Northeast.

Gambling in the Mid-Atlantic and New England regions started with gambling in Atlantic City. Over the last two decades, new casinos have been opened in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New York, Rhode Island, Delaware and Maryland. More gambling expansion is now scheduled (or being debated) in several of these states, as well as in Maine and Massachusetts.