Hours after the Legislature took the first steps toward legalizing Las Vegas-style casinos in the Empire State, Gov. Cuomo spiked the idea of building the money meccas in Manhattan.
�We want to create destination locations that are not just casinos,� Cuomo told reporters Thursday.
�Hotels, entertainment, etc., large physical plants, creation of hundreds of jobs � and that�s not Manhattan,� continued Cuomo, noting that influential Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver opposes casinos on the island.
The Legislature, in a session that stretched into the early morning hours Thursday, gave first approval to a constitutional amendment that would allow up to seven non-Indian casinos in New York.
The amendment must be approved by lawmakers again in 2013 � and by the public in a referendum before it can be enacted.
Cuomo said no discussions have been held on where to locate the casinos. He has previously said, however, that the Aqueduct racino � which is the site of a proposed convention center � would be a suitable spot.
�I think we can use them as regional revitalization tools,� Cuomo said of casinos. �I don�t think we need one in Manhattan to do that.�
The gambling amendment was approved during a marathon legislative session that began Wednesday morning and stretched into Thursday morning�s rush hour.
Lawmakers not only tackled gambling, but also legislative redistricting and expansion of the state�s DNA database and a pension reform bill that�s projected to save the city $21 billion.
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One Response
They already have gambling in Manhattan. What do you think the Stock Exchange is? Indeed, until a few years ago, derivative contracts and futures contracts were prohibited as being gambling contracts.
But since the amendment will cover the whole state, Cuomo’s views on the matter are irrelevant.