Sen. Gillibrand supports off-reservation casinos

First-term Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) supports off-reservation gaming in the Catskills, The Mid-Hudson News Network reports.

Gillibrand joins Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-New York) in backing casinos for the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe and the Stockbridge-Munsee Band of Mohican Indians. The Seneca Nation also wants to open a casino in the Catskills, a region about 90 minutes north of New York City.

“What I’ve seen in other parts of the state – the casino up in Rome – is quite successful in creating jobs and it’s not really as much about gambling as it is about it’s an entertainment center," said Gillibrand, referring to the casino owned by the Oneida Nation.

The Bush administration rejected two Catskills casinos, saying the gaming sites were too far from existing reservations. Tribes hope Obama will reverse course.

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Gillibrand supports Sullivan casinos, providing concerns are addressed (The Mid-Hudson News Network 5/4)