New York Times – During the final two months of this year’s legislative session in Albany, more than three dozen companies, Indian tribes and trade groups with an interest in gambling or horse racing lobbied New York’s state government. There were more lobbyists representing the gambling industry than there are members of the Legislature.
The industry’s backers got what they wanted, and in three weeks, the state’s voters will go to the polls, deciding whether to amend the State Constitution to allow up to seven new casinos.
The proposed constitutional amendment, backed by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo and approved twice by the Legislature, is the product of years of debate and big spending in Albany. Since 2005, gambling and horse racing interests have spent more than $59 million on lobbying and political contributions in New York, according to an analysis of disclosure filings by Common Cause New York, a government watchdog group.
The spending in New York has mirrored similar efforts in other state capitals to try to persuade policy makers to authorize more gambling. And the industry has also been a force in Washington, spending $34 million on lobbying last year, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group.
There appears to be no end in sight for the industry’s spending in New York. Mr. Cuomo and lawmakers have agreed that, if the casino referendum passes, they will at first allow only four new casinos, all upstate, in three regions: the Catskills, the Southern Tier and the Albany area. New York already has five Indian-run casinos, all upstate, and electronic gambling at nine racetracks.
