by Lee Park, director of communications, New York State Gaming Commission

Schenectady, NY — The following are statements by New York State Gaming Commission Chair Mark Gearan and Gaming Facility Location Board Chair Kevin Law regarding a Dec. 26, 2014 letter from the Governor asking the Gaming Commission and the Gaming Facility Location Board to consider issuing a new Request for Application for the fourth and remaining gaming facility license in the Southern Tier.

Statement by New York Gaming Commission Chairman Mark D. Gearan

My fellow Commissioners and I have reviewed the Governor’s Dec. 26, 2014 letter asking the Gaming Commission and the Gaming Facility Location Board to consider issuing a new Request for Application for the fourth and remaining gaming facility license in the Southern Tier.

We are grateful for the diligence and professionalism of the Gaming Facility Location Board and their impressive commitment to public service.

The intent of the gaming statute was to benefit economically distressed Upstate areas experiencing high levels of unemployment. Clearly, the Southern Tier meets this criterion. A process to generate new proposals focused on the Southern Tier may create an additional opportunity to identify an appropriately structured and capitalized gaming facility that could bring the region important economic development and employment.

I have spoken with Gaming Facility Location Board Chairman Kevin Law and told him the Commission looks forward to working with the Board on this matter.

Statement by Gaming Facility Location Board Chairman Kevin S. Law

I have reviewed the Governor’s letter with my fellow Board members. We all agree that our recommendation of Lago for the Eastern Southern Tier/Finger Lakes Region was appropriate and that it would not have been appropriate to recommend either of the remaining regional Applicants as submitted last year.

Nevertheless, we are willing to entertain the Governor’s request to issue a new Request for Application for this region, given the recommendation of Lago in the Finger Lakes region could encourage proposals from new applicants in the Southern Tier region. However, the Board will not consider opening up either the Catskills/Hudson Valley Region or the Capital Region to additional Applications.

Accordingly, we plan to hold a meeting on the evening of Jan. 13 in Manhattan to discuss this matter and review our final findings and report from our Dec. 17, 2014 selections.