The Associated Press
A development group that wanted to build a casino in the Catskills is dropping out, saying the possibility of a competing casino closer to New York City would make their proposal unsustainable.
Trading Cove and the Stockbridge-Munsee Community of Wisconsin said Thursday they will not bid for a gaming license in the Sullivan County town of Thompson. The developers said the possibility of a casino in neighboring Orange County would dilute the market.
The tribe and its partner in April paid a $1 million non-refundable fee to apply for a commercial casino in Sullivan County. Plans called for a $750 million facility on 330 acres in the town of Thompson. The tribe also planned to pursue an off-reservation casino at the site under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.
Thompson Supervisor William Rieber said an Orange County casino could make it harder for the remaining three Sullivan County proposals to get financing.
There are 18 groups vying for four licenses that will be granted in the Albany-Saratoga area, the Southern Tier-Finger Lakes region and the Catskills and mid-Hudson Valley.
The Catskills region, about 90 miles north of New York City, will receive two of the commercial casino licenses. The actual fee for a license is expected to run as high as $70 million.
Applicants must submit proposals by June 30.
Last November, voters approved a referendum to authorize up to seven casinos in the state.