The Oneida Indian Nation’s three casinos in Central New York have been open, on a limited basis, since June 10. The Seneca Nation’s three Western New York casinos and other gaming halls have been opening in phases this month.
The small Lakeside Gaming hall run by the Cayuga Nation in Union Springs has been open since mid-May.
But the state’s non-Indian (aka commercial) gaming facilities are still waiting for the signal from the state to start back up. Unlike the tribal casinos, they are bound by the opening and closing orders issued during the coronavirus pandemic by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
It looks like commercial gaming won’t resume at the start of the next phase (phase four) of the reopening, which is set to begin in regions like Central New York, the Finger Lakes and the Southern Tier at the end of this week. In guidelines issued today, casinos are specifically cited among the businesses not opening for the phase four start.
That means Upstate New York’s four full-service casinos — del Lago Resort & Casino near Waterloo, Resorts World Casino Catskills in Monticello, Tioga Downs in Nichols just west of Binghamton, and Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady — are still waiting. So are the gaming floors at racinos (racetracks with slots) across the state.
Still, it may not be long.
“Areas such as the malls, gyms, movie theaters, casinos, will not open on the first day of phase four, but will open at some time during phase four,” former lieutenant governor Bob Duffy told Rochester TV station WXXI Tuesday. Duffy is an advisor to Gov. Andrew Cuomo on reopening in the Finger Lakes region and is in frequent communication with his aides.
Duffy noted that since phase four has no specific timeframe, unlike the two-week periods for the previous three phases, reopenings may follow a more drawn-out schedule.
“Phase four could last two months, it could last three months,” Duffy told WXXI. “There won’t be a phase five, so it’s going to be a gradation of certain activities just based on some of the research and feedback that the state is getting. And really it’s the measurement of these activities, region by region.”
That’s a little disappointing for the operators of the commercial casinos, which like other “non essential” operations have been mostly shut down since mid-March. Some casino/racino amenities, like racing without fans, or restaurants and hotels, are allowed to resume.
“We had hoped to be able to open by July 4,” said Jeff Gural, who owns both Tioga Downs and the Vernon Downs racino in Oneida County. “There are people who are waiting for the casinos to reopen. I know the governor is prioritizing health and safety, not economics, and I applaud that, but it makes sense to reopen as soon as we can.”
Gural said he hopes to reach the governor or his aides and make the case for faster reopening.
His reasoning: It’s not just the tribal gaming facilities that are opening, but casinos in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey.
“People who like to gamble are going to go to the casinos they can find,” Gural said. “That’s their mentality. So they’re going to travel to these places in other states, and perhaps they’re exposed (to the virus). Then they come back here.”
Gural stressed that he believes Cuomo has done a good job in managing the spread of the coronavirus.
“We don’t have a big problem here, and we’re going to follow all the guidelines issued by New York state,” Gural said. “But we don’t need people bringing back anything, from Wilkes-Barre (Pennsylvania) or Atlantic City (New Jersey).”
Gural said he needs about a week’s advance notice to prepare for a reopening, so he’d like to have a go-ahead as soon as possible for a July 4 start date.
When they are allowed to reopen, the commercial casinos will be bound by state guidelines, such as social distancing, required wearing of masks and limited crowd capacities. (The state’s Indian casinos are voluntarily following those guidelines as well).
At del Lago Resort & Casino, just off State Thruway Exit 41 in Seneca County, the staff is preparing to reopen under those rules, said Lance Young, executive vice president and general manager.
“Del Lago Resort & Casino continues to plan for a safe reopening that protects our employees, customers and the general public,” Young said in a statement. “We have developed a comprehensive reopening plan — with input from various stakeholders — that meets or exceeds CDC and OSHA guidelines. We are ready to reopen upon state approval.”
MORE ON CORONAVIRUS
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Complete coronavirus coverage on syracuse.com
Don Cazentre writes for NYup.com, syracuse.com and The Post-Standard. Reach him at dcazentre@nyup.com, or follow him at NYup.com, on Twitter or Facebook.
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New York’s Indian casinos are opening. When will non-tribal gaming follow? - syracuse.com
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