Tioga Downs Promotes Job Creation at the Javits Center

Tioga Downs, the racino in the Southern Tier, is seeking the fourth and final casino license in upstate New York after it was passed over by the state board on Dec. 17. Laborers from Local 79 were on hand to support the racino and the jobs it plans to produce as the track presented its plans before the board at the Jacob Javits Centers in Manhattan. The board will hold a required public hearing at SUNY Broome on Sept. 18.

The events are the next steps in the reopened process to potentially award a fourth upstate casino license to Tioga Downs. After Tioga Downs was rejected in favor of the Lago Resort & Casino in the Finger Lakes, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Dec. 27 asked the Gaming Commission and the location board to reopen the bidding for a “true Southern Tier” casino. The board agreed, but only

Tioga Downs, owned by Manhattan developer Jeff Gural, submitted a proposal on July 7. Gural vowed a $195 million investment and the addition of 560 jobs if awarded the casino license.