New York governor Andrew Cuomo is being investigated over his administration’s handling of the selection process that awarded casino licenses for the Catskills, Schenectady and the Finger Lakes regions.
According to the New York Daily News, State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman is spearheading the investigation, which was initiated to “make sure that the process was fair and nothing illegal had occurred.” Granted, Schneiderman is within his rights to launch such a proceeding if he figured that it needed attention. But it’s also worth pointing out that when interviewed by investigators from Schneiderman’s office, even the losing bidders believed that the whole casino selection process was on the up-and-up.
Tioga Downs racetrack owner Jeff Gural, who unsuccessfully made a bid for one of the casino licenses told the Daily News that he met with investigators “at their request.”
“They said they were going to meet with all the bidders to make sure that the process was fair and that nothing illegal had occurred,” Gural added. “I told them I thought nothing illegal had occurred.”
State Gaming Commission spokesman Lee Park defended the casino bidding process, saying it “strictly followed the provisions of the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act, which called for unprecedented transparency.” Park added that the commission has yet to be contacted by anybody from Schneiderman’s office.
REVEL SOLD… AGAIN
Over in Atlantic City, it appears that the drawn-out saga involving the sale of Revel Casino Hotel appears to be coming to an overdue conclusion after Florida developer Glenn Straub signed a deal to purchase the shuttered casino for $82 million. For the record, that’s significantly lower than the $95.4 million price tag Straub had agreed to pay under the deal that was declared dead last week.
But bankruptcy Court Judge Gloria Burns never entered a final order terminating the sale, allowing both parties to continue negotiating a deal. Against all odds, a deal was struck at the 11th hour. Straub’s attorney Stuart Moskovitz said the deal is expected to close by March 31, 2015. Sure it is.
