“You are sucking away the core market,” said Etess, whose proposal included a 252-room hotel, seven restaurants and a golf course.

Mohegan Sun CEO Mitchell Etess, who wants to build a $550 million casino at the Concord site, said his project would be scuttled if licenses were granted in Orange County. The high-stakes debate is playing out most starkly in the Catskills and Hudson Valley, an area that accounts for nine of the 16 casino proposals now before the state.Ĭatskills backers see casinos as the salvation to decades of economic decline but fear the Gaming Commission will favor more lucrative proposals to the south, in Orange County, which is closer to New York City and an easier drive for many gamblers.Īny consideration of a casino in Orange County will cut us off at the knees,” said Town Supervisor Bill Reiber of Thompson, where the legendary Concord Resort was located. ALBANY - Deciding where to put casinos in New York is proving to be no easy bet for state officials.Īfter two days of lavish presentations from 16 casino bidders last week, state gaming officials were left with a difficult choice: Should new gaming palaces go where they can generate the most dollars, or in communities that desperately need the economic boost?

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