A total of 22 groups have each paid a $1m application fee for the chance to open an upstate casino in the US state of New York.
The most intense interest focused on the areas closest to New York City and the groups included hometown business owners as well as gambling giants like Caesars, Genting Group and Foxwoods. The state’s Gaming Commission released the names last week.
Four casinos are authorised in three regions: the Albany-Saratoga region, the Catskills (pictured) and the Southern Tier. The Catskills attracted the most bidders, with Caesars Entertainment and Foxwoods joining several other groups competing for a licence.
At least five application payments were for sites in Orange County for potential casino sites and at least five for the Catskills. Orange County, the closest eligible location to the city, has become a wild card in the calculus for many potential bidders. Casino supporters in places farther away say an Orange County casino would doom their projects to financial failure.
