Casino companies tout positive impacts of New York casino projects

As 16 different companies vie to build the four casinos, they are attempting to garner local support for their projects by touting the direct and indirect economic impacts their projects would have on economically depressed upstate counties, where high unemployment rates and the slow disintegration of the manufacturing industry have led to a decades-long decline.
 
The state actually estimates the four casinos would create 4,000 permanent jobs, but that 1,100 of those would be positions that would be lost at gambling-related industries throughout the state, such as racinos. The companies proposing casinos closest to New York City - in Sullivan, Orange and Ulster counties - claim their projects would create thousands of permanent jobs.
 
Caesars, which has proposed a massive destination resort near Woodbury, in Orange County, estimates its project would create 3,000 permanent positions. Two casino proposals in Sullivan County—Mohegan Sun and the Montreign Resort - estimate 2,100 and 2,400 full-time permanent jobs, respectively.
 
And in Ulster County, a proposal by the Nevele Resort claims the project would create between 2,250 and 2,440 permanent jobs. Nevele's figures are being used to help justify its application to the Ulster County Industrial Development Agency for roughly US$ 100 million in tax breaks over the next 15 years. If the casino succeeds in creating more local jobs, it could broaden the county’s tax base, making up for the loss in property taxes, Nevele’s C.E.O. Michael Treanor told Capital.
 
If houses for sale in the area “are bought by well-paid employees, and they start paying school taxes and eating at local restaurants and paying sales tax, it creates a ton of economic activity which is largely taxable,” Treanor said.
 
The casino would eventually create enough jobs to lower the county’s unemployment rate from 13.5 percent to 5 percent, he said.
 
Lee Park, a spokesman for the state’s Gaming Commission said members of the Gaming Facility Location Board evaluating casino applicants won’t just take the companies’ estimated job numbers at face value. As they evaluate the applications, the gaming board’s members will seek outside counsel from multiple state agencies and an outside gaming consultant who can help evaluate whether the proposals are realistic, Park said.