Cuomo nixes NYC casino plans

A rendering of the Aqueduct casino in Queens
A rendering of the Aqueduct casino in Queens

New York City will not be getting a casino – at least not for the next five years.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo outlined a plan to bring New York’s first three commercial gaming franchises to upstate destinations, the New York Daily News reported. Cuomo’s plan, which is subject to approval by the Legislature, also calls for a ban to casinos in the five boroughs, Long Island, and the city’s northern suburbs, in a bid to spread tourism and push gamblers upstate. 

“Tourism is a great economic generator,” Cuomo said. “We need jobs in upstate New York and economic activity in upstate New York like we need oxygen.”

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He expressed his hope that city voters would support legalized gambling when the vote comes up in 2013, as a portion of the revenue would go toward public schools in the state.

An “independent selection committee” will choose locations for the first three upstate casinos, Cuomo said. The legislature will not be involved. [NYDN] Hiten Samtani