Monticello, NY – The federal government rejected plans for two casinos in the Catskill Mountains on Friday, saying that the reservations of the two tribes that submitted the plans were too far from where the casinos would be built, in Monticello and in the town of Thompson.
The decision was a major setback in the 30-year effort to bring gambling to Sullivan County.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
One of the proposed casinos, at Monticello Raceway, received the support of Gov. Eliot Spitzer and was expected to attract six million visitors a year, generate 3,000 jobs and provide the state with an estimated $100 million a year. But the plans faced intense opposition from the NRDC and other environmental groups, and required the final approval of Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne.
Mr. Kempthorne, who has long opposed Indian casinos on nonreservation land, said in his letters that the casinos would be too far away to offer jobs to tribal residents and that forcing residents to relocate would hurt the reservations.
In a statement released Friday night, the NRDC called the decision a major victory and said the casinos would have burdened the Catskills with pollution, traffic congestion and sprawl.
Representative Maurice Hinchey, D-NY who has strongly supported the proposed casinos, said proponents of the plans would not give up. “It is clear that the next opportunity for these proposed casinos to move forward and be objectively evaluated will be under a new administration by a different secretary of the interior, who under current law has the final determination in this matter at this time,” he said in a statement. [NY Times]
dont need em, dont want em
I see many that go mohegan sun in Ct………..Gambling, hmm how many of you but lottery tickets, same difference isn’t? The money that would be brought in from the casiones, would replace the tax exempt that the you place on us, so you don’t have to pay taxes. Go figure the yeshiva in South Fallsburg has no problem paying taxes.
i think we should allow the gambling with the placing a camera at the enterances of the casinos so we can watch who goes there from the community
you would be shocked at how many wives go without husbands or vice versa
and how many bochurim hang out there
to 12:23
“You weren’t talking about the “frum” people that can be otherwise found in Atlantic City & Las Vegas while their wives are in the bungalows, now would you??”
I didn’t think of those, and wasn’t thinking of them when I wrote the first post, but yeah, you are right–them too. We wouldn’t want them in the Catskills either, or anywhere else, for that matter.
To anonymous 12:07
you’re right: we should think about the others who live there all year ’round.
It’ll be even worse for them.
We’ll only suffer 8 weeks a year.
These people will suffer 52 weeks a year.
At least we can run away back to Brooklyn for the rest of the year.
These residents will have nowhere to go.
If the casinos open, it will destroy not just the Jewish Catskills, but the entire Catskills.
If they’re interested in jobs, let them open a huge new family sports center like Chelsea Piers, or some other idea that doesn’t attract lowlifes. I’m all for jobs–but not a casino.
Anon 11:24…..who tend to be from the lowest elements of society, into the catskills during the summer–and with gambling comes people with no money and hence petty crime.
You weren’t talking about the “frum” people that can be otherwise found in Atlantic City & Las Vegas while their wives are in the bungalows, now would you??
IT will for sure be overturned as you are up there for 8 weeks and there are ppl that live there all year long..STOP thinking about you selves for once and thing about others…….
dont count it as dead, just yet. they have money & will put up a fight. Also remember, regime change is near.
I’m willing to bet they’ll overturn it.
We should all say “shehechiyanu”, “mazel tov” and maybe even “hagomel”–this would have brought thousands of gamblers, who tend to be from the lowest elements of society, into the catskills during the summer–and with gambling comes people with no money and hence petty crime. Bungalow colonies would become unsafe and plagued by a new kind of mosquito–one with two legs. In short, it would completely destroy the Jewish catskills as we know it. Thank G-d it was stopped–and if it ever becomes a serious threat again, VIN should lead the charge to shoot it down.