Schumer has doubts about Catskill casino
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- February
- 26
Add Sen. Charles Schumer to the list of officials who are skeptical that the federal government will approve the construction of a gambling casino on the grounds of Monticello Raceway in Orange County.
“It’s not going to be that easy’’ to get federal approval, Schumer told reporters in Albany today after addressing a state Conference of Mayors. “They have made it clear they don’t like off-reservation casinos.’’
Gov. Eliot Spitzer announced last week that he had reached a deal with the St. Regis Mohawk tribe of Native Americans to build a $600 million Las Vegas-style casino. The project would generate as many as 3,000 new jobs and provide as much as $200 million a year in revenue for the state.
But the project also needs the approval of the federal Department of the Interior, since the land is not on St. Regis Mohawk reservation land. They live on a tract of land along the St. Lawrence River on the Canadian border, hundreds of miles away.
Schumer, by the way, said that while he is no fan of gambling, he supports this proposal because “people are going to ganble anyway,’’ and it’s better for New York if they spend the money in-state rather than in Atlantic City or Connecticut.”
This entry was posted
on Monday, February 26th, 2007 at 1:54 pm by Jay Gallagher.
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