Casino Gambling Passes in New York

New York State is going along with a majority of Broome County voters, approving the expansion of casino gambling in the state.

The rush is now on to submit bids to the state Gaming Commission for the licenses for the seven Las Vegas-style casinos, one of which is to be located in the Southern Tier.

Tioga Downs racino in Nichols and Vista Hospitality of Binghamton have both indicated plans to apply.

While no licenses have been designated yet, Tioga Downs owner Jeffrey Gural issued a statement following the approval of Proposition One saying he planned to call his contractor in the morning to begin the expansion of the Nichols facility, which includes development of a hotel.

There has been no firm gaming house proposal presented by Vista Hospitality, including where a possible Binghamton-area casino could be located.

Vista, which was founded by two Binghamton brothers, owns a number of properties including the Holiday Inn Arena in Binghamton and Quality Inn and Suites in Vestal.