ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) – A Finger Lakes thoroughbred racetrack with video lottery terminals filed a lawsuit against New York officials for selecting a nearby casino site the track claims will siphon off customers.
The Finger Lakes Gaming and Racetrack filed the suit last Friday in Albany after state regulators in December selected Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, just off the Thruway, as one of three recommended sites for an upstate casino. It names as defendants the New York State Gaming Commission, the commission’s location siting board and Lago’s developers.
The Finger Lakes track claims that Lago would cannibalize revenues from surrounding establishments and that the siting board didn’t consistently follow its own selection criteria. The planned $425 million Lago casino site is about 25 miles east of the existing Finger Lakes track.
“By selecting Tyre, the Location Board is effectively allowing Peter to be robbed to pay Paul – benefits are being redistributed from one community to another, rather than being maximized for the state as a whole, as specifically mandated by the Legislature,” the track’s complaint said.
The lawsuit said the siting board excluded casino applicants between the Catskills and the New York City region because of concerns they would take revenue away from existing facilities 60 miles away or farther.
In a prepared statement, Lago didn’t comment on the lawsuit.
“We look forward to building and operating a great resort that Tyre, Seneca County and New York State will be proud of and that creates thousands of jobs, increases tourism and helps grow the economy of the Finger Lakes region,” Lago spokesman Steven Greenberg said.
A spokesman for the Gaming Commission said the panel has no comment on the lawsuit.
The two other recommended casino sites are in Schenectady and the Catskills.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press.
