"Assembly Speaker Shelly Silver has given the nod to supporting a full-scale casino in New York City, apparently reversing his previous position and joining the ranks of Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. But gambling-industry insiders believe that attempting to pass a constitutional amendment to legalize slot machines, table games and card games could still prove to be a political crapshoot.

“With Shelly on board, people are cautiously optimistic,” said an insider with close ties to the industry. “But we still have a long way to go.”

The Legislature would have to pass a constitutional amendment in consecutive regular sessions. The public would then have to vote to approve the amendment before non-Indian casinos become legal in the state. The earliest that could happen is November 2013."

Get the Story:
Insider: Silver's gaming bet is a crapshoot [right column of page] (Crains New York 9/20)

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