ONEIDA COUNTY -- Vernon Downs is hoping table games are in their cards. A bill has passed the State Senate and now needs Assembly approval. But getting through Albany is just the first hurdle to clear. The proposal would then go up for a state-wide vote, and then another just for voters in Oneida County. That’s because in order to play table games like poker and blackjack at Vernon Downs, the state constitution needs to change. And that decision needs to be made by the voters.
Vernon Downs already has the floor filled with slot machines. But the idea of playing roulette and craps has some gamblers excited. "Anything is good once to see if you can win. It gives the husbands or boyfriends something to do while the women are playing the machines,” said Jean Capron. “If this casino expanded, and there were more jobs and more people who would come who only like table games, who never came here before, I think it would be a great idea,” said Mary Demetricks.
The casino says the plan could be a jackpot for job seekers, it expects to double it's workforce to 600 employees and expand the facility.
“The big difference between slot machines and tables games is table games require a lot more people," said Chairman of American Racing and Entertainment which owns Vernon Downs, Jeff Gural. "I think everyone would agree that jobs are vitally important, especially up here in upstate New York.”
Gural says the state and county would win too. He says the extra betting could boost tax revenue by $10 million, which could be used to offset costs, or provide property tax relief. The Oneida County Legislature overwhelmingly passed a petition supporting it.
"I think it would be a great idea, because this keeps us from going to Atlantic City, keeps the money in the area,” said Betty Locaso.
“Anything that adds to the stability of the economy in Central New York, I'm all for it,” said Marsha Sumner.
And while gambling addiction support programs, like the Prevention Network, aren’t taking sides on the table games issue. It says gambling is a growing problem, especially in this economy.
"When times are tougher people are looking for that easy fix, so to speak so gambling goes up. Like I said we are neither for or against it, it can be fun activity for some people but there is a lot of addiction out there that people are not aware of,” said Colby Sutter with the Prevention Network. He says it’s also an alarming issue with youth, 20% are at risk of having a gambling problem.
“We also put a provision in there that would put some money aside for problem gambling because obviously we don't want people here who shouldn't be here,” said Gural.
Gural says the plan hasn’t met much opposition, and he’s remaining optimistic it will pass the Assembly. Currently, table games are only legal at Indian-owned casinos. If this bill clears all the hurdles, it would allow a number of casinos, including Tioga Downs in Nichols, to offer the games.
