New York State Casino Expansion Approved by Voters

Election Day 2013 results included a win by New York gambling proponents on Tuesday after state residents voted in favor of an initiative for casino expansion.

The decision permits as many as seven Las Vegas-style casinos, with four in the first seven years, all of them upstate in an effort to draw New York City residents and tourists to the region.

With 96 percent of the precincts counted by the early morning hours of Wednesday, casino expansion in the state received 57 percent approval.

“This vote will keep hundreds of millions of dollars spent each year in neighboring states right here in New York,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a statement. “Today’s vote will further pave the way for the creation of new jobs, construction and increased tourism.”

New York is also mentioned among a handful of states that could explore legalizing online gambling in 2014.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com