Editorial: It's time for New York to give up casinos

Monday, September 26, 2005  

"As a general rule, trying to solve a state's financial problems by hitting the jackpot eventually brings as many problems as it does dollars. But what should be even more important right now to New York's political leaders is that the stated reasons for building a string of casinos in the Catskills, never convincing in the first place, are now even less so.

Sullivan County, typically described as being so destitute that people would gladly take casino jobs, has begun showing signs of an economic revival on its own.

And the pressure on Governor George Pataki to negotiate casino deals as a way to settle Indian claims on New York land has eased, at least momentarily, after some contracts have expired and after two court rulings that appear to make pressing those claims more difficult.

All this gives Mr. Pataki and other state leaders reason to get out of the casino business. It's a bad bet. "

Get the Story:
Editorial: Bad Bets in the Catskills (The New York Times 9/25)
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