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For years we have been hearing that casinos are coming to Sullivan County. We have all been through the mill on the issue. Whenever it seems like reality, there is one delay after another.
First we were told we were getting three casinos, and then Governor George Pataki said five, now depending on whom you talk to its back to one or three.
The game playing of bringing casinos here must cease. It is time that the real games begin. Let’s get at least one for a start.
The clock is ticking very fast for Pataki to leave behind a great legacy for Sullivan County. And - the slot machine market is quickly becoming saturated.
Slots are coming to Pennsylvania. Mohegan Sun which purchased Pocono Downs will be opening their facility any day now, and their plans are huge. Yonker’s Raceway recently opened their Racino, and they are planning thousands of additional video terminals. Aqueduct will soon be constructing their Racino.
Besides slot machines, Casinos will offer all types of table games, race book rooms, poker rooms, and BINGO.
A slow rollout of one Casino in Sullivan County is best because it will allow all sides to visibly see first hand the positive impact gaming will have here.
Pataki must see to it that all of the necessary approvals are properly in hand to open up our first legalized gaming facility at Monticello Raceway.
He has to put pressure on the Bureau of Indian Affairs to move on the issue.
Despite what the “Nay Sayers” to casinos might want you to believe, the impact for us will be a win win situation.
Casino-Free Sullivan County will say and do anything in an attempt to stop the $500 million St. Regis Mohawk casino at Monticello Raceway, and the other proposed Sullivan County Indian gaming facilities.
It is time “Casino-Free Sullivan County” stops the babble and supports the construction of a casino complex for the good of Sullivan County.
Come on - agree to at least one.
We have all heard the argument about gambling addiction.
The simple truth is that if a person wants to gamble, all they have to do is turn on their computer, and the world of betting is right in front of them.
In fact, online Texas Hold’em Poker is the leading cause of gambling addiction today. Television is flooded with these programs, leading even teenagers to turn on their computers to gamble.
That is where the anti-gaming fight should be, and not trying to stop legitimate growth in Sullivan County.
Just like Thompson Supervisor Tony Cellini so eloquently put it recently, “there is room in Sullivan County for Casinos and Windmills.”
Casino-Free Sullivan County’s picture of doom concerning the “Racino” has been proven false. It did not do the damage or harm they frightened us with - instead it did just the opposite.
The Racino gives people a place in Sullivan County to enjoy live entertainment featuring great musical and comedy acts. They even brought boxing and wrestling to our area. Let us not forget the highly rated buffet. Yes, there are also video slot terminals that people enjoy, and horse racing too.
We have to all begin to look at the real picture.
People enjoy legalized gaming as a recreation. And, they will travel here from all over to enjoy what the facility will have to offer. So why not bring it to such a depressed area as Sullivan County instead of somewhere else?
Once casinos come here, our economy will be stimulated, and we will experience growth like never before imagined for Sullivan County.
What we are talking about here is the vision that people like Robert Berman had for us when he and his group originally purchased Monticello Raceway - the construction of a mega entertainment complex.
Casino-Free Sullivan County will tell you slanted mistruths about what casinos did in Connecticut. One just has to take a drive to Connecticut and visit Mohegan Sun or Foxwoods and the surrounding area to see what I am talking about.
These are much more than just gaming facilities. They are resorts which house high end retail shops, five star hotels, renowned spas, gourmet restaurants, and entertainment that only places like Las Vegas can deliver.
If you thought Bethel Woods was something, wait and see what a casino will bring here year round on a nightly basis.
Jobs and more jobs will be created in and out of the casino. I am talking about all types of employment that will be available here. A middle class will once be able to survive in Sullivan County.
Just think, maybe college graduates will finally have a reason to stay here and not seek employment elsewhere upon commencement.
Our dream for a better Sullivan County need not be just that. Casinos can and will make it a reality.
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Email Bill