Though “Complicated,” Cuomo Still Pushing To Add Casinos To State Budget

Although the legislative calender for 2013 is quickly ending, Governor Andrew Cuomo is still trying to sort out the question of bringing legalized gambling to the state. Times Union is reporting that Cuomo is using the remaining 23 legislative days to strike a deal.

While Cuomo is hard at work in trying to sort through a compromise that would bring three casinos to upstate New York, the governor couldn’t guarantee that it would happen.

“[C]asinos are among the most complicated” Cuomo said referring to the legislative measures left on his agenda.

While the governor is delaying the proposed plan of fully legalizing gambling and bringing seven casinos to the state, he still thinks its possible to approve three gambling meccas in upstate New York, with the first one being built in the Catskills.

The governor said Election Day 2014 might be better-suited to put a proposed referendum to allow for up to seven casinos before voters because this year’s biggest race is New York City’s mayoral contest. Since he is advocating for just three upstate casinos to be built in the near term, metropolitan area voters might not bother to vote on a constitutional amendment to legalize gambling outside the city.

“That’s a major problem,” Cuomo said.

Cuomo’s delaying of a full-blown push for legalized gambling probably reflects the mixed public reaction on the issue. Polls have shown that a slim majority of New Yorkers asked are against the idea of building all of the proposed casinos upstate, meaning they want one in the city. The same poll also pointed to a contradiction in people’s feelings as it showed that a majority also do not want a casino in the city.

You see, it’s complicated.