Opponents of New York gaming referendum lack big campaign

Tuesday, October 22, 2013  

Opponents of a referendum [PDF: Proposal 1] to expand non-Indian gaming in New York are being outspent by supporters.

Opponents lack the cash to make a big splash. Meanwhile, pro-referendum groups are airing TV ads and hosting rallies to turn out the vote in November.

“We’d love to have a white knight ride in,” Dave Colavito, the unpaid spokesperson for the Coalition Against Gambling, told The New York Times. “But I don’t think it’s going to happen.”

Tribes are staying out of the fray because they signed agreements with Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) to keep non-Indian casinos out of their territories in exchange for exclusivity. The Oneida Nation, the Seneca Nation and the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe agreed to share revenues with the state.

Get the Story:
Critics Wage Quiet Fight Against Ballot Measure on Adding Casinos (The New York Times 10/22)
Upbeat casino ballot language still convincing potential voters, Siena poll finds (The Syracuse Post-Standard 10/21)

Gaming interests spent $59M amid expansion bid in New York (10/15)