After getting dropped out of its bid to build a casino in Massachusetts by Suffolk Downs, Caesars Entertainment is setting its sights on making a run at New York in the hopes that it can swing and hit something after repeated missteps in acquiring casino licenses in the past few years.
According to GOP State Senator John Bonacic, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Racing, Wagering, and Gaming, Caesars specifically expressed interest in building a casino in the mid-Hudson Sullivan County.
The company, considered as the US’s biggest casino operator, is one of many companies that have already voiced their interest in vying for the available licenses in New York. Las Vegas Sands, MGM Resorts, Foxwoods, and Boyd Gaming have also expressed interest in developing a casino in New York.
But for what it’s worth, Caesars has been the one that’s most vocal about its intentions in New York. The company supported the passage of the referendum, even donating $100,000 to the pro-casino referendum group NY Jobs Now.
If anything, the company needs to jump start its casino revenues just so it can help alleviate the massive amounts of debt it has incurred in the past. Winning a casino license in New York would certainly go a long way in accomplishing that.
Senator Bonacic made it known that if Caesars, or any other operator, for that matter, is really serious about developing a casino in Sullivan County, it better have at least $600 million in its pockets and have an eye towards employing more than 1,000 jobs.
That’s not a formal requirement – at least not yet – but it goes to show the standards the state is looking at for any of the potential casino operators looking to bid for a license in the state.
