Tioga Downs owner Jeffrey Gural continues to hope he'll submit the only application for a Southern Tier casino license.

Despite ongoing speculation that an Albany-area man may put forth a competing bid, Gural on Friday said he is "optimistic" that a second application won't materialize.

Speaking on WNBF Radio's Binghamton Now program, Gural said he expects his application will be submitted "right before the deadline."

Gural said "it seems awfully late in the game" for another casino bid to be announced.

Businessman Jeffrey Hyman is said to be seeking partners to apply for a casino license for a site in Binghamton.

Gural said he was aware of two people who declined Hyman's invitation to invest in such a project.

Mayor Richard David has said he feels "very good" about the prospects for a bidder for a Binghamton casino.

Gural said he was "very disappointed with the mayor's desire to essentially put me out of business."

Gural noted he met with David about two months ago and explained why he believed Tioga Downs and a Binghamton casino could not survive. He said having both in this region "would be a recipe for disaster."

The owner of the racino in the town of Nichols said both entities would wind up being unsuccessful.

LISTEN to the Binghamton Now interview with Jeff Gural.
 

 

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