PACs Wary Of NY Casinos

A controversial ballot measure that would expand gambling and allow construction of as many as seven new casinos in New York goes to voters Nov. 5, and the prospect of its passage has the arts and entertainment community worried.

The Upstate NY Arts and Entertainment Venues coalition, comprised of several of the state’s PACs, has asked the state for help to protect their ability to attract acts and audiences if voters approve the expansion.

Marcia White, executive director of 

“If they book Bruce Springsteen, we wouldn’t have that opportunity for several months or up to a year,” said White, whose Saratoga Springs, N.Y., venue can hold an audience of 25,000.

The coalition’s other theaters are Proctors in Schenectady, The Clemens Center in Elmira, Ulster Performing Arts Center in Kingston, Landmark Theater in Syracuse, Palace Theater and Times Union Center in Albany, Saratoga City Center,  State Theatre in Ithaca, Shea’s Performing Arts Center in Buffalo, and Stanley Center for the Arts in Utica.

White said they collectively account for budgets of almost $100 million, employ more than 600 people and are major educational and cultural resources in their communities.

In addition to some agreement on exclusivity, the group is also asking for a 1,000-capacity limit on casino theaters and limits on their future expansion.

“This isn’t an anti-casino or anti-gambling thing,” she said. “It’s about keeping our communities vibrant.”

The measure could also result in expansion of gaming and casino-style entertainment at so-called racinos – horse racing tracks with slot machines. Jeff Gural, the owner of the Tioga Downs racino in Nichols, N.Y., dismissed the coalition’s concerns and said he will bid for one of the casino sites if they are approved in the referendum.

He said shows, including outdoor acts that draw 2,000 to 4,000 people, have been staged for six years at the track.

“There has been plenty of talent to go around and no one in this neck of the woods has said a word to me,” Gural said. The New York Gaming Commission has said it is committed to protecting the local theaters and work with it on rules requiring any new casinos to form partnerships with them.