Wasting no time, the New York State Gaming Commission appointed three experienced public servants to the Resort Gaming Facility Location Board and gave them a June deadline to accept bids. That’s light speed compared to Massachusetts. It also overshadowed something that ought to dampen the ardor of Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) and others. According to a study by Phoenix Marketing, gamblers in New York State have the lowest daily spend of any in the Mid-Atlantic region. The big spenders still head to Atlantic City.
Borgata ($478), Trump Taj Mahal ($450) and Golden Nugget Atlantic City ($444) headed the list, while the bottom five were all New York State properties. (Only players’ club members qualified for inclusion in the survey.) They were: Tioga Downs ($205), Monticello Casino & Raceway ($186), Finger Lakes Gaming Racetrack ($168), Batavia Downs Gaming ($150) and super-obscure Hamburg Casino ($120). It’s pretty obvious that New York needs a better class of gambling property and soon.
Massachusetts may be slow but it’s getting there. By the time New Hampshire comes around, the Bay State will have eaten its lunch. Sticking its head in the sand, the state House of Representatives voted down casino expansion, continuing a proud historical tradition. The bill did contain some movement of money from one pocket to another: Charitable-gambling establishments would be subsidized to make up for the competition. Heck, the lone private-sector casino wouldn’t even be allowed to serve drinks! Those are some stern folks in New Hampshire.
Federal law gives Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) a year in which to decide the fate of a proposed tribal casino at Dairyland Greyhound Park. And now he says he needs an additional six months? C’mon, man!
A casino in a former circus hall with a digital artist-in-residence? This sounds like something from the brain of Steve Wynn. But it’s the handiwork of British operators Jimmy and Simon Thomas, a father-and-son team who have rolled out the Hippodrome Casino. The digital imagery of expat artist Thomas D. Gray plays out on 57 panels around the facility. It may sound hifalutin’ but the inspiration will surprise you: “When we came here we saw the character of the place, and how we could make a different kind of casino with its own character. Our answer to Las Vegas,” says CEO Simon Thomas. Sin City should be flattered by the imitation.
