Scratch two names from the mad scramble for a New York State casino. The vaguely interested Rolling Hills Entertainment is out but it was a long shot. Of 
greater consequence is Pinnacle Entertainment‘s abandonment of its pursuit of the Albany area. Don’t worry: Both companies get their $1 million deposit back and there are still 20 companies jostling for four licenses. Today’s news comes as a boost to the Albany-area E-23 project, and perhaps the Saratoga Casino & Raceway/Churchill Downs joint venture in East Greenbush. Even so, competition for Albany is relatively light and Pinnacle has been aggressive of late, so I wouldn’t have picked it to be one of the dropouts.
Surprise of surprises, a bill to vastly expand gambling in Illinois is running out of gas in the waning days of the Legislature. By permitting six racinos and five casinos (or one gargantuan casino in Chicago), it would 
have a seismic effect on the existing industry. The alternative for lawmakers is to enshrine a temporary tax increase on a permanent basis. In other words, income will be taxed on April 15 or, bit by bit, through play at an increased number of Land of Lincoln casinos. A lack of support from Gov. Pat Quinn (D, left) and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) appears to be dooming this latest attempt, and the carving out of Fairmount Park from the racinos that will be eligible for slots doesn’t sit well with the horsey set. Wait ’til next session, I expect.
* By contrast, the City of Baltimore is going to be so flush with revenue from Horseshoe Casino Baltimore it has to figure out ways to spend it. The largesse is intended to revitalize five neighborhoods around the casino. “I hope that we are extremely creative and visionary in how we approach these questions and we don’t limit ourselves to traditional expenditures,” says state Sen. Bill Ferguson.
There’s no shortage of ideas on the table, from building a water-taxi stop to holding a triathlon. One promise-weary resident, Westport Neighborhood Association prexy Keisha Allen, says this time is different: “We have real, live money to work with now. The day that casino opens, we’re going to be watching that money like a hawk.” Don’t expect too much at first: The initial $3 million is earmarked for a variety of studies.
* Las Vegas‘ Culinary Union is threatening yet again to strike Downtown casinos, which I will believe when I see it. Tilman Fertitta has made peace with the union but holdouts include Boyd Gaming, Tamares Group, Derek Stevens, Terry Caudill and the El Cortez. I appreciate the delicate and long-term nature of negotiations, especially with so many discrete parties. But the Culinary needs to stop making threats unless it’s prepared to back them up. Right now it sounds like a stuck phonograph needle.
