New York Governor Signs Gambling Act

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has recently signed the bill which is going to reveal where and how operators in the American state will be allowed to start land based casinos once the referendum which is supposed to legalize the industry takes place in November. The Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act has been approved by the Legislature at the end of last month.

The act will allow the development of four non-Indian new casinos in three upstate regions, which include the Capital District-Saratoga area, the Hudson Valley-Catskill area and the Central-Southern Tier. The excluded areas are Rockland, Long Island, New York City and Westchester, where no casinos will be established during the next seven years. The Gaming Commission also explained that if the referendum has a negative outcome, the state will still expand the gambling industry by opening video lottery parlors in Long Island and upstate New York.

Cuomo expressed the idea that the expansion of this industry is supposed to generate jobs for New York residents and boost the economic situation in the region, especially since neighboring states’ gambling establishments are generating revenues by attracting tourists which might prefer visiting New York for gambling purposes once the casinos are open for business.