Michael Blann/Getty Images A state panel is expected to announce Dec. 17th which bidders will get casono licenses New Yorkers will have to wait until at least Dec. 17th to find out where the state intends to site casinos.
State Gaming Commission Executive Director Robert Williams said Monday he expects the Gaming Facility Location Board to hold its next and final meeting on Dec. 17th in Albany. A decision on which of the 16 casino bidders will receive licenses is expected at that time.
“The Gaming Facility Location Board has met on three occasions to discuss the financial and employment histories of those applicants responsive to the Request For Application to Develop and Operate a Gaming Facility in New York State,” Williams said at a Gaming Commission meeting Monday. “Their most recent meeting occurred this past Friday when they met at Hofstra University. While information relative to the Board’s review and deliberation has been scarce, I understand that they have tentatively scheduled December 17th in Albany for their final meeting.”
The head of the Facility Location Board, Kevin Law, said last week that he expected the board to issue its selections at its next meeting.
Meanwhile, Mitchell Etess, chief executive of the Mohegan Tribal Gaming Authority, sent a letter to state gaming officials Monday informing them that despite his recently-announced plans to retire in 2015, he still intends to stay on and oversee the development of the MTGA’s proposal for a casino at the former Concord Resort in the Catskills.
“I am fortunate that scaling back my day-to-day responsibilities with MTGA will afford me the opportunity to oversee more closely this project which remains near-and-dear to my heart,” Etess wrote.
Mohegan Sun’s proposal is among the 16 bidders competing for up to four licenses the state will issue this year for sites in the Southern Tier, Capitol Region and the Hudson Valley/Catskills area. Under the law approved by the Legislature in 2013, each region must get at least one license but no more than two.
The Hudson Valley/Catskills area is, by far, the most competitive region, accounting for nine of the 16 bids.
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