Opinion: Drop dreams of off-reservation casino

"One year — maybe this year or the year after that — the political, social and economic stars will finally align and allow Sullivan County to take hold of its elusive casino grail.

Well, guess what, folks?

Reality time.

It's not going to happen.

Not this year or the year after or any year after that.

Not because last year then-Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne wore blinders when he rejected applications for the St. Regis Mohawks and Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohicans to develop off-reservation casinos.

Another good reason.

But also not THE reason.

And not because the Mohawks last year abruptly ended their partnership with Empire Resorts to build a casino at Monticello Raceway. Years before that, the Mohawks left the track to build a casino at Kutsher's, then jilted Kutsher's for the raceway.

Nor is it because of the failings of the Oneidas, the Cayuga Nation or the Seneca-Cayugas to work out a deal with any number of casino developers, who left us with nothing but blueprints, schematics and broken promises.

It's not because Gov. Pataki pushed for five casinos when there wasn't even one."

Get the Story:
Barry Lewis: It's time Sullivan gave up gambling ghost (The Middletown Times Herald-Record 4/5)