Those evil casinos; Lost in Yonkers; Found in Bethlehem

Floating down the river of DeNile, Sharron Angle says a senatorial seat that was rightfully hers was filched by “the casinos,” among other malefactors. Of course, this is the same woman who would have subtracted CityCenter from the local tax base and thrown its employees onto the dole, arguing that it should have been aborted in mid-construction (because it just would have gone bankrupt anyway, Angle contended). So we’re not dealing with someone who’s got all her ponies on one string, are we?

Speaking of tax bases, the municipality otherwise known as Yonkers has to decide how much it’s worth to keep Yonkers Raceway propped up. The latter projects spending $40 million to add 350 VLTs — bringing its inventory to 5,850 — and 400 table games (craps, sic bo, baccarat). In return, it would like tax incentives. Seems reasonable. But here’s the rub: Business isn’t expected to be any better once the expansion is finished. It’s a defensive measure against Genting Bhd‘s nearby Aqueduct project. Or, as Raceway General Manager Bob Galtiero candidly put it, “I don’t know that we’re going to get a lot more people. We’re hoping to keep the people we have.” One can understand the appeal of tax breaks when they’re meant to grow business (as is the case with Revel, down in Atlantic City). But it’s a tougher call when the explicit objective is just to keep running in place.

Playing favorites to the end, the state senators of Maine, ixnayed a casino proposal for Lewiston but approved a pair of racinos. All is not lost for Lewiston, which gets a shot with the electorate in November. As for the racinos, it was a futile gesture on the part of the Lege, as Gov. Paul LePage already intends to veto them and there aren’t enough votes for an override. See ya at the ballot box, guys.

The finish line is finally in sight for long-in-progress Sands Bethlehem. If parent Las Vegas Sands is able to maintain its timetable (which would admittedly be an historic first), the mandated retail mall and event center could be finished by mid-February. Shame on property President Robert DeSalvio for reiterating that the new hotel would still be unfinished if Pennsylvania hadn’t legalized table games. Sands has sulked, pouted and dragged its feet on this project — and table games were never part of the deal to which it agreed. CEO Sheldon Adelson wanted into Pennsylvania so badly that he promised a number of bells and whistles that have proven dearly expensive. But using the unfinished hotel as a carrot to extract table games from the legislature showed poor corporate citizenship on Sands’ part. Finishing the hotel was a contractual requirement. Blowing $743 million on the first phases of the megaresort … now that was a choice.