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The latest news
Cayuga County Legislature says no
to proposed casino (WSYR-TV,
June 30)
Auburn sending wrong message on
casino plan (Auburn Sun, June
24)
Two tribes lose on Catskills
casino (Middletown Times
Herald-Record, June 23)
Hard hand: Proposed Saugerties
casino appears to be a bad bet
(Saugerties Times, May 25)
Crews demolish historic grain
elevator on Seneca casino site
(Buffalo News, May 28)
Citizen group urges action on
Turning Stone Casino (Oneida
Dispatch, May 25)
High court ruling hailed as
victory for counties, state
(Staten Island Press, May 15)
Casino's illegality is very clear
(Albany Times-Union, May 7)
Prosecutor drops Vacco probe
(Albany Times-Union, April 29)
Pombo moves to shut door on
off-reservation gaming (Indian
Country, March 16)
Soares probing Vacco and Seneca-Cayugas
on lobbying (Albany
Times Union, March 20)
Tribes not paying NY cigarette
taxes (NY
Daily News, March 19)
Pombo introduces bill to end
off-reservation Indian gaming
(Maine Free Press, March 8)
Lawmakers seek to limit
off-reservation Indian casinos
(San Diego Union, March 8)
Wilmot aims to build casino in
Cayuga County (Rochester
Democrat, Feb. 24)
Seneca-Cayugas and Wilmorite
present casino plan in Sennett
(Auburn Citizen, Feb. 22)
Tribes: Court went too far
(Auburn Citizen, Feb. 4)
Al Spana goes to work for casino
developer (Saugerties Times,
Jan. 20)
Casino foes join forces in
Saugerties (Daily Freeman,
Jan. 21)
Justice department sides with
tribe in Supreme Court request (Ithaca
Journal, Jan. 18)
Taking on a nation - Casino
employees vs. Indian sovereignty
(Salon.com, Jan. 13)
Lawsuit filed against Buffalo
casino (Newsday, Jan. 3)
Feds continue review for casino at
raceway (Times Herald-Record,
Dec. 23)
McCain's bill makes it tougher on
Indian casinos (Indianz.com,
Dec. 12)
U.S. Supreme Court refuses to hear
New York gambling case
(Newsday, Nov. 28)
Legal victory for Shinnecocks
makes Long Island casino more
likely (Newsday, Nov. 8)
Interior officials conflict on
racetrack casino (Middletown
Record, Nov. 8)
Seneca-Cayuga Chief: Our [Finger
Lakes} offer makes history
(Auburn Citizen, Nov. 6)
Casino's local benefits come up
short (Buffalo News, Oct. 14)
Tribal casinos push beyond the
reservations
(Christian
Science Monitor, Oct. 14)
Connecticut tribes denied federal
recognition, ending casino
prospects (Stamford Advocate,
Oct. 13)
Keep Pombo out of our land claim
affairs (Auburn Citizen, Oct.
12)
Congress could step into land
dispute (Syracuse
Post-Standard, Oct. 11)
Prosecutors
now investigating Vacco's lobbying firm
[Thomas Wilmot, Seneca-Cayugas
involved] (Buffalo News, Oct.
10)
Halt sought for tribal
'reservation shopping' (Las
Vegas Review-Journal, Oct. 8)
'New Sheriff in Town': Interview
with Seneca-Cayuga chief
(Saugerties Times, Oct. 6)
[Reader
response]
Casino foes split, in a way
((Kingston
Daily Freeman, Oct. 5)
California congressman wants an
end to land claims (Finger
Lakes Times, Oct. 3)
Hiring Guns: Citizens' group and
village seek legal help
(Saugerties Times, Sept. 15)
Environmental rules wouldn't apply
to planned casino (Kingston
Daily Freeman, Sept.16)
Top court is Cayugas' last hope
(Finger Lakes Times, Sept. 9)
Playing For Keeps: Anti-casino
activists visit Foxwoods
(Saugerties Times, Sept. 1)
Seneca-Cayugas' settlement
agreement with Pataki expires
(Auburn Citizen, Sept. 2 )
Catskill Casinos: An Issue Left in Limbo by Discord and Indecision
(New York Times, August 29)
Circling the Wagons: Attorney interviewed to devise casino strategy
(Saugerties Times, August 18)
Casinos spur jobs, union says (Kingston Daily Freeman, August 19)
Historic First (Seneca-Cayugas seek casino in Finger Lakes (Syracuse
Post-Standard, August 19)
11 Ulster County
communities now oppose casinos
(Kingston Daily Freeman, August 8)
Law of the Land: Federal Appeals Court ruling does not stop plans for
casino at Winston Farm
(Saugerties Times, July 28)
HITS owner in favor of casino in Saugerties
(Kingston Daily Freeman, July 28)
Reformed churches oppose casinos in region
(Kingston Daily Freeman, July 26)
No casinos in Catskill Park, Shandaken town board urges (Kingston
Daily Freeman, July 21)
Ready to Gamble?
Ulster County Supervisors' Association
discusses casinos (Saugerties Times, July 21)
Casinos are a regional issue, say Ulster county town supervisors
(Kingston Daily Freeman, July 20)
Washington wary of casino expansion
A court decision means bets are off for the moment:
N.Y.
legal battles ongoing (Indian Country Today, July 8)
Land claim decision raises
questions, criticisms
(Newsday, July 4)
Cayuga
Nation Catskill casino plans move forward (Mid-Hudson News.Com, July
3)
Circuit
court bars Cayuga land suit: Appeal likely (Indian Country Today,
July 1)
Casino meeting infuritates lawmakers (Kingston Daily Freeman, July
1)
Court ruling threatens casino plan (Green Bay Press-Gazette, June
30)
Legislative politics stall casinos:
Bruno comments spur demand for apology (Albany Times Union, July 1)
Politics Doomed Casino Proposals (Gambling Magazine, June 26)
Hanging
Tough:
Bonacic splits with state senate majority
on casino issues
(Saugerties Times, June
16)
Pataki shifts aim with bill for one casino: Safer bet on
Catskill site could open door for more measures before session
ends (Albany
Times Union, June 10)
Casino developers try a
bluff and raise the stakes:
A Casino by any Other Name (Saugerties Times, June 23)
Wild Card: Casino ups ante to $600 million (Saugerties
Times, June 23)
Casino developers show their hand (Kingston Daily Freeman,
June 18)
$600 million ante
(Kingston
Daily Freeman,
June
17)
Saugerties and Ulster
County just say No:
Ulster County deals a blow to casinos (Kingston
Daily Freeman, June 10)
They Just
Said No:
Town board votes unanimously against casino
(Saugerties
Times, June
9)
Let's All Go to the Lobby:
Saugertiesians head to Albany for Lobby Day
(Saugerties Times, June
9)
Saugerties board rejects casino
- unanimously
(Kingston
Daily Freeman,
June 9)
Saugerties village trustees say 'no' to casino (Kingston Daily
Freeman, June 4)
Ulster lawmakers consider passing casino buck (MIDDLETOWN
RECORD, June 4)
House of cards:
Community organizes to fight casino
at Winston Farm
(Saugerties Times,
June 2)
Ulster County lawmakers postpone
casino 'home rule' vote (Kingston
Daily Freeman,
June 2)
Deal Saugerties
Out: Helsmoortel and Yerick plan to introduce anti-casino
resolutions (Saugerties
Times,
May 26)
As the Wheel Turns:
Legislature may have final say over casino
(Saugerties Times,
May 19)
How it started:
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It
became clear for the first time this week what the
Oklahoma-based Seneca-Cayuga tribe has planned for its
proposed casino at the 840-acre Winston Farm property in
Saugerties. And it's huge, at least by Saugerties' and
Ulster County's standards.
The casino, related restaurants and a 900-room hotel
would attract an estimated 18,000 visitors daily -
virtually doubling the size of the town of just under
20,000 residents - it was revealed by Saugerties
supervisor Greg Helsmoortel's office. The gaming
operation and resort development at the site would also
draw 1 million gallons of water daily, the same amount
of water that the village of Saugerties, Glasco and
Malden water districts, currently serviced by the
village supply, use on a daily basis.
It is also becoming clear that area residents opposed to
the siting of a casino in their community may find
themselves in a vulnerable position in terms of fighting
it, both because of the extent of the tribe's formidable
financial backing and governor George Pataki's already
articulated policy of using Native American land
settlements to finance state coffers.
Plans for the casino and development of the remainder of
the site were unveiled at a meeting on Thursday, May 5
that was attended by Paul Wilmot, whose family business,
Wilmorite, Inc., has an option to purchase the Winston
Farm. Paul's father, Thomas Wilmot, is head of Wilmorite,
and Paul's firm, Somerset Buildings, handles the
construction of Wilmorite projects. Also present were an
engineer for Wilmorite, and town and village of
Saugerties officials and engineers, including Saugerties
village mayor Robert Yerick. According to the minutes
from the meeting that were made available to the media
this Wednesday, the Wilmots and the Seneca-Cayugas are
planning, during the casino's first phase, to construct
1.2 million square feet of "resort/casino," one million
square feet of retail space, a 750,000-square-foot
convention center, a 900-room hotel and garaged parking
for some 15,000 vehicles.
Subsequent phases call for a 20,000-seat (approximately
500,000-square foot) sports and entertainment arena - by
comparison, the Pepsi Arena in Albany has only 17,300
seats - and additional parking in a maximum of five
garages for a total number of approximately 23,000
vehicles. A PGA-level golf course would also be
constructed. Water would probably be supplied from two
aquifers on the site that might also be available as a
back-up source for the town and village. Until that
time, both the casino and resort developer would
initially like to use the village and Malden sewer
treatment facilities, paying for upgrades or building
additional facilities on the Winston Farm site as extra
capacity is needed.
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