New York residents have voted in favour of allowing casino expansion in the state, with a 57 percent margin according to a report by the New York Times. The decision means that there will now could potentially be at least four, and up to seven, new upstate casinos.
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the decision to allow casinos will help revive struggling local economies, and was quoted by the Times as saying that he believes adding more casinos within the state will keep residents from traveling elsewhere to gamble.
Capital New York noted that downstate areas voted in favor of casino expansion by especially wide margins, citing numbers coming out of Long Island that showed a two-to-one margin in favor of the new casinos, even though no casinos will be built there. USA Today reported that casino company’s have already submitted multiple proposals for gambling houses in the Catskills, and racetracks in Saratoga and Tioga Downs have expressed interest in full-fledged casinos.
In further US casino news, Detroit’s three casinos reported a 4.7 percent year-on-year decline in casino revenue for the first 10 months of 2013, to $1.13bn. The Michigan Gaming Control Board cited increased competition from neighbouring Ohio and reduced customer spend.
source : www.totallygaming.com
