Supervisor supports casino in Sullivan
However the Casino Gaming bill moves forward, a single casino per region, multiple casinos in a single region, or some other mix, Sullivan County is by far the most ready and willing partner to work with the State of New York to develop a successful class three gaming facility.
Our community has long supplied Casino Gaming, which is evident by three destination resort sites, which have already gone through all of their environmental impact studies and are on the verge of achieving final site approval as destination resorts. Each of these sites has excellent transportation access from NYS Route 17 (Future 1-86), in part, due the significant State investment in this limited access highway. Selecting a class three gaming site in Sullivan County not only makes sense from a transportation perspective, but also from a public investment perspective.
We believe that Sullivan County offers the State of New York one of the greatest opportunities for a return-on-investment of public funds due to our proximity to the New York metropolitan region, our long history as a resort destination and our communities overwhelming support for casino gaming.
The casinos proposed in our County are designed to be "Resort Destinations", which would appeal not only to those interested in gaming, but also those interested in outdoor recreation, world class golfing, and a variety of other activities. Rather than stand-alone casino halls that appeal to a narrow market, our resort destinations would appeal to a variety of tourists and ensure a broader market and more importantly increased repeat customer and longer stays, which translates to more revenue for each of our venues.
The Sullivan County Legislature would like to be on the record as saying loud and clear to the State of New York that we are willing and able partner in the development of a world-class class three gaming destination in the Empire State.
Coupled with our world-class Bethel Woods Performing Arts Center and variety of other tourist destinations, the establishment of a casino in Sullivan County would help the State to create a destination that can effectively compete for market share against the Casinos in nearby Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
Anthony P. Cellini
Town of Thompson Supervisor
(June 12)
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