New York Tribal Casino To Spend $20 Million On Upgrades Amidst Commercial Casino ConstructionGaming In Empire State Undergoing Major Expansion |
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While four new commercial casinos are under construction, a tribal casino located within the state of New York is planning $20 million in upgrades.
Turning Stone Resort Casino will be revamping its gaming floor with items such as new carpeting, chairs, furnishings and a new ceiling, according to a report from Syracuse.com. Other work will be done to renovate the casino’s 285-room hotel tower.
The upgrades to the casino floor will be completed in early 2017. New York State’s first commercial Las Vegas-style casino could open later this year.
The Oneida Indian Nation is also building a new section of the gaming floor to cater to smokers. The rest of the 125,000-square-foot space will be non-smoking.
The tribe is one of three in the state with gaming.
Currently, New York has nine racinos with slot machines. The 2013 casino law allowed for the racinos to become Las Vegas-style casinos (live dealer table games). The state has only approved four casinos so far, all upstate.
The commercial gambling market in the Empire State is worth about $2 billion, and state officials estimated that an additional $1 billion is spent each year at out-of-state casinos.
“We literally hemorrhage people from the borders who go to casinos,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in 2013. About $1.4 billion has been invested into the new Las Vegas-style facilities.