Vol. 3, No. 3, March 2006
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Pataki wants more VLT parlors
Yonkers Raceway in suburban New York City (below) is being expanded to host VLTs.
New York Governor George Pataki is asking the state legislature to authorize three new video lottery terminal venues to open after the state's remaining three racetracks go live with VLTs later this year.
Pataki is proposing a bill that would authorize three VLT parlors, with licenses to be awarded through competitive bids. The parlors could be located anywhere in the state other than certain designated locations, as long as they are at least 15 miles from an existing VLT facility.
The governor said he hopes to raise more money for education, after seeing much success in raising education funds through existing racetrack VLT operations at Saratoga, Batavia, Canandaigua, Hamburg and Monticello. Those tracks collectively earned $300 million last year, on nearly $3 billion in wagers. Of that $300 million, $155 million went to the state's schools.
Yonkers Raceway, Aqueduct Park and Vernon Downs are all expected to open their VLT facilities this year, and are projected to double the money generated by the state lottery for education.
Lawmakers in favor of Pataki's proposal noted last month that the state needs more venues to compete with Pennsylvania, where 61,000 slots are slated to come on line within the next two years. Opponents, though, cautioned that new venues would also create more gambling addiction by creating more "convenience gambling."
