Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Manhattan) expressed doubts about the latest Catskills casino project yesterday, while a rival casino developer dismissed the plan as “improbable.”
Silver, who owns a home in Sullivan County, told The Post he was skeptical the Wisconsin-based Indian tribe planning the casino would be able to get the rare federal waiver it needs to proceed.
“This requires a federal waiver, and there hasn’t been one granted in at least 10 years,” Silver said.
“There are many people in the Catskill region who are hopeful about this, but I hope this turns out to be a positive rather than another negative for them.”
Gov. Paterson, Sen. Charles Schumer and local officials are expected in Monticello Monday to announce a state-casino compact with the Stockbridge Munsee Band of Mohicans.
The agreement will settle the tribe’s land claim in upstate Madison County, and give the state’s blessing to the casino project in the nearby hamlet of Bridgeville.
(Source: NY Post)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
The prohibition of setting up casinos is one of New York State law. The legislature should simply repeal the state prohibition – if it really wants casinos. There is no need to involve the Indians – and the state looks ridiculous when “importing” Indians from other states to “rent” a reservation in an area they have no connection with in order to help the state evade its own prohibition on casinos.
Casinos may or may not be a good idea, but this way of doing it looks absurd.