Binghamton lawmakers unanimously approve resolution supporting casino in the city

The 2014 New York State gaming license competition may have failed to bring a casino to the Southern Tier, but Jeffrey Hyman, a new Albany-based project manager says it was a great learning experience.

"I think I've been able to take a lot from the 2014 process to heart and use it very constructively in this place and continue to do so," said Hyman, Binghamton Casino Project Manager.

Future plans for the casino would be to place it at the former Stow Manufacturing Company, which many feel would be a great central location for visitors from Binghamton and surrounding areas. 

"It's been targeted for quite some time and we're really hopeful this is finally the opportunity to take that site not only to a higher, better use but maybe as higher or as best a use as anyone could have conceived," said Hyman.

Not everyone shares that belief. Some feel its close proximity to a railway and history of pollution are reasons to consider another location. The City of Binghamton has stated nothing will be made official until the area is secure.

"There would be a remediation process as part of this overall project to make sure there is a clean bill of health on the site, and that's something that would obviously need to happen for this project to move forward," said Mayor Rich David, R-Binghamton.

Some people have also criticized the idea of spending millions to bring a casino to Binghamton. Critics believe an established racino like Tioga Downs has advantages. That group is once again seeking a license.

Binghamton leaders say it's the vision, not the starting point that matters. 

"To say that you have to have an existing structure or casino in place already in order to be competitive we saw was not the case in 2014, even in the Southern Tier region, where the license was awarded to Lago. That was a vacant land," said David.
Monday marks the deadline for the casino application.