The del Lago Resort and Casino in Tyre, New York, has been attracting gamblers since it opened its doors two years ago. As the gambling landscape begins to change in the state, it wants to start offering the ability to place wagers on sports events, and, to support its ambitions, sought support from the New York Gaming Commission (NYGC) to dump some of its gambling options in favor of a sportsbook. The NYGC has now said yes and the venue will soon begin to construct its sports gambling operations.
The del Lago presented a plan to the NYGC to get rid of some of its slot machines and gaming tables. It wanted to use the space for the sportsbook, but could only do so if the commission approved the changes. The NYGC met this past Monday and unanimously decided to approve the proposal. According to the casino’s spokesperson, Steven Greenberg, indicated that 1,650 slot machines and 66 table games will be tossed for now, but could be brought back later after the construction of the sportsbook is complete.
In presenting its plan to the NYGC del Lago pointed out that it was removing “underperforming slot and table game assets,” adding that it had more slot machines than it truly needed. It also pointed out that it often didn’t have all gaming tables in operation at the same time, so the removal of some of the tables would not impact the customer experience or the casino’s staffing levels.
Three casinos in the state have now requested to swap some of their conventional gambling activities for sports gambling. Tioga Downs Casino and Resort and Resorts World Catskills both submitted similar proposals to the NYGC last month and both were approved. The marketing manager for Tioga Downs, Jim Weed, asserted at the time, “The timing of [the 60-day public comment period] is great, our racing starts in the middle of May so if we could have the sportsbook going by the end of May, early June, that’d be great.”
Weed was referring to the comment period instituted by the NYGC in March. The commission published draft regulations for sports gambling operations on March 20 after a sports gambling bill didn’t make it past lawmakers and is accepting public comments until May 19.
