Mark Gearan approved as leader of N.Y. gaming panel

Gearan said he would not try to guess what might happen with the three other casinos that could be allowed in years to come. "My pledge to you is to bring integrity to the process, to bring transparency to the process," he said.

Before the vote, he promised to honor the intentions of the legislation authorizing casino development in upstate."Would you try to fulfill the spirit ... to help distressed regions?" asked Senate Racing and Wagering Committee Chairman John Bonacic, a Republican who has been working for years to get casino development in his Catskills district. "Yes," Gearan said. "Economic (impact) is a key driver. I respect that."

Governor Andrew Cuomo nominated Gearan in January, and has set a speedy timeline to get casinos developed upstate. Gearan's commission, which includes four other Cuomo appointees, is expected to install a siting committee to review projects and consider granting up to four casino licenses for three upstate regions. Cuomo wants the commission to identify winning casino bidders so that construction can begin in early fall.

Senator Liz Krueger gave Gearan a copy of the 317-page Inspector General's report on the bidding by Aqueduct Entertainment Group when it tried to win the rights to build a racino at Aqueduct Race Track. Those efforts were depicted as scandalous by the office in a report that Krueger said was mandatory reading.
In response to concerns raised by Sen. Bill Perkins, D-Harlem, Gearan offered to look into bringing "best practices" to programs that worked to combat gambling addiction. Senator Kathy Marchione asked no questions during the hearings.

A member of the Racing and Wagering Committee, she has declined to discuss her opinion on a Krueger-backed bill that would give potential host communities for a casino the right to block such a development. "I wanted to see the application, to see what's going to be built," she said. "Let's just see how it goes forward. Obviously, I want to see the city represented."