Genting Group says it is vying for a casino license in upstate New York

The company said it was considering several sites in the Catskill and Hudson Valley regions, but would not be more specific. At least 16 companies are expected to compete for the licenses to establish casinos, which Governor Andrew M. Cuomo considers critical to lifting the struggling upstate economy.

Genting Group operates the Resorts World slot parlor at the Aqueduct track in Queens, as well as multibillion-dollar resorts in Asia.

Earlier this week, Caesars Entertainment became the only major Las Vegas gambling company to bid for a license, with plans for an entertainment complex worth more than US$750 million in Orange County, about 50 miles north of Midtown Manhattan. Caesars’s entrance is considered a boost to Mr. Cuomo, who has been trying to lure Las Vegas gambling companies to New York.

The casinos will be allowed in three regions: the Catskills and the Hudson Valley, which includes Orange, Sullivan and Ulster Counties; the Saratoga-Albany region; and a narrow strip in western New York, running from Binghamton north to the Canadian border.

The Catskill-Hudson Valley region is the most lucrative because of its proximity to New York City, an appeal underscored by the fact that two major gambling operations - Caesars and Genting- want to open there.But there are concerns that a casino license might end up being steered toward a site in Orange County. It is much closer to New York City than Sullivan and Ulster Counties, whose economies are in far worse shape.

Many big players have also been wary about the prospect of opening a major casino upstate because of the many gambling options that already exist.

With new casinos or slot machine parlors opening in Connecticut, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island, and more to come in Massachusetts, some analysts think the market is already oversaturated.

In New York, there are now five Indian casinos upstate and electronic slot machine parlors at nine racetracks.