Casino project offers hope to NY's struggling Southern Tier

OWEGO, N.Y. (AP) — Chris White didn't listen to the naysayers, the ones who said it would be foolish to start a business in New York's struggling Southern Tier, where antique shops peddle artifacts from a richer past and economic malaise hovers like fog over the Susquehanna River.

[...] plans to expand a racetrack and slot parlor into a full-scale resort casino with 1,000 new jobs are generating a glimmer of hope, though many here say it will take a lot more than gambling to make up for what was lost here.

Local leaders hope Tioga Downs' plan to expand into a full casino, complete with a 161-room hotel, new restaurants and a concert venue, will draw tourists while creating new jobs and generating tax revenue.

The very same day Tioga's initial application was rejected in favor of three casino projects in other regions in the state, Cuomo's administration announced a ban on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas, known as fracking, a process that many here thought might transform the region, which sits atop the north edge of the productive Marcellus Shale formation.

Tioga owner Jeff Gural plans to start construction soon and hopes table games could be open six months after the state Gaming Commission formally awards the license.

[...] it's not the silver bullet that's going to solve our financial woes, said Binghamton Mayor Richard David, who is more hopeful about a state economic development competition announced by Cuomo that will pit seven state regions against one another for three $500 million awards.

[...] Kevin Law, chairman of the state Gaming Facility Location Board, which endorsed Tioga's bid, said the "scope of the project is reasonable in relation to the potential market."