Tioga Casino New York
Track owner Jeff Gural said if non-tribal casinos in New York state remain closed, harness racing in the state could be in for even tougher times in 2021.
- List of casinos in the U.S. State of New York; Casino City County State District Type Comments Akwesasne Mohawk Casino: Wikimedia Commons has media related to Casinos in New York (state).
- The announcements come after the New York Gaming Commission voted in June to allow sports betting at four upstate casinos. Tioga Downs is in the community of Nichols in Tioga County. The other casinos are Resorts World Catskills in Monticello, Rivers Casino and Resort in Schenectady, and Del Lago Resort and Casino in Waterloo.
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About 30 Tioga Downs workers rallied at the Nichols casino on Thursday, urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo to reopen all the gaming facilities across New York, more than five months after they were shut. In late August, casino leaders held a rally in Albany demanding guidance from the governor on how casinos can reopen. Employees from Tioga Downs attended the rally. In July, a WARN notice filed.
by Bill Finley
With New York’s non-tribal casinos still closed due to the coronavirus, Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural said his New York tracks have run out of purse money and will close following the weekend of Sept. 12 and 13.
Gural had planned on shutting the tracks after Labor Day but said he wanted to stay open so that Tioga could okay host to the finals of the Excelsior Series on Sept. 11.
Tioga was ordinally scheduled to race through Sept. 19 and Vernon was set to close Nov. 7.
Tioga Casino New York Monticello
“The current plan is to close the weekend after Labor Day, unless by some miracle they allow us to open the casino,” Gural said. “There is no indication that is going to happen.”
New York is the only major racing state in the U.S. where the casinos have not opened. That has shut off the funnel of money from the casinos that is used to fund purses. Tioga and Vernon had already cut their schedules down to two days a week instead of three and Monticello has stayed closed all year.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo addressed the situation July 30 when he told reporters the casinos remain closed because it is “an issue of density, the likelihood of compliance and the essential nature of the business.” When asked why malls were allowed to open and not casinos, Cuomo said it was because “people need food, people need clothes, people need home goods.”
New York’s casinos have been closed since March 16. According to the American Gaming Association, of the 990 casinos in the U.S., 851 have reopened.
Gural said he was able to keep the two tracks open as long as he has because the purse account builds up over the winter when racing is not operating, but the casinos are. That money is set aside to fund the upcoming racing meet. He said both tracks have used up that money and added that he has spent some of his own money to keep Tioga going through the Excelsior finals.
Gural said the ongoing closure of the casinos could also affect his tracks next year as there may not be any casino money coming in over the next several months that can be used for 2021 purses.
“Ordinarily, the cycle would start over again,” he said. “The bigger problem is going to be next year. Everything depends on when the casino opens and how much revenue we generate.”
He said the longer the casinos stay closed, the bigger the problem will be for New York harness racing. The vast majority of the purses come from the casinos and the tracks simply can’t do without that source of revenue.
“Besides destroying the casinos it has destroyed racing,” he said.“It’s a huge blow to racing in New York. A huge amount of money is no longer available to purses and that can destroy racing. If the casinos don’t open soon we might as well take a year off. We already had to cut back to two days a week. That has been catastrophic for New York racing, which relies entirely on casino revenue. But this is what happens when you rely on a subsidy.”
He said he also fears the casino shut down could lead to an effort to decouple, which is what happens when casinos no longer have to give a portion of their revenues to racing. Gural said the casinos will be in such tough shape while the shutdown continues that they might seek remedies to bolster their bottom line, including decoupling. “We really have to be watching carefully what happens next,” he said.
Gural has always been a supporter of Cuomo, but admits he has grown frustrated with the governor’s failure to open the casinos. Cuomo has no control over the state’s tribal casinos, all of which are open. Casinos are also open in four states that border New York — Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
“I think the governor has done an amazing job,” he said. “In New York, we are down to one per cent testing positive. But we haven’t been able to convince him that by keeping us closed, it’s actually keeping people less safe. If all the casinos were closed that would be one thing. But we are closed and the eight tribal casinos are not. Neither are the casinos in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey, Ohio. Everybody who would ordinarily be going to my casinos in an area where nobody is sick is now going to other casinos in areas where there are far more people testing positive than in upstate New York. We just weren’t able to mark that argument to convince him. If he were sitting here I could convince him, but that’s not the case.”
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| Tioga Downs | |
|---|---|
| Location | Nichols, New York |
| Address | 2384 West River Road, Nichols, NY 13812 |
| Opening date | June 9, 2006 |
| Theme | County-Fair |
| No. of rooms | 160 |
| Total gaming space | 942 machines |
| Notable restaurants | Carousel Bar Coasters Sports Bar Subway County Fair Buffet |
| Casino type | Racino |
| Owner | Jeffrey Gural, CEO of American Racing and Entertainment, LLC; Scott Freeman, President and General Manager American Racing, Tom Murray Security Supervisor, Dave Miller, Director of Security, Graham Shanks F&B Supervisor, Katie Krapf Events Coordinator, Anita Wintermute EMT, |
| Architect | CGL Architects |
| Coordinates | 42°01′31″N76°24′57″W / 42.025324°N 76.415749°W |
| Website | Tioga Downs Casino |
Tioga Downs is a county-fair-themed standardbred racetrack (5/8 mile) and commercial casino located on a 138-acre (0.56 km2) site in Nichols, New York.
History[edit]
Tioga Downs originally was a quarterhorse track known as 'Tioga Park' in 1976, closing down after its third season. James Nuckel, then owner, stated that, 'the track had been losing thousands of dollars a day and was still in the red after three years of operation' (New York Times, 1978). Thereafter, a few private races and the occasional flea market were held at the location.
Revival[edit]
In 2000, Jeffrey Gural, a real-estate executive, horse owner, and racing enthusiast, began lobbying for state approval of Video Lottery Terminals (VLTs) at racetracks. In 2005, they were approved. Shortly after Gural, with partnership from Nevada Gold and Casinos, bought the old Tioga Park for $32 million (New York Times, 2006; Press and Sun Bulletin, 2006). A ground-breaking ceremony was held July 22, 2005.
On June 9, 2006, Tioga Downs opened, offering harness racing, simulcast betting, and over 800 VLTs. Tioga Downs has two bars, a Subway restaurant, banquet room, coffee/bakery shop, and buffet. It also has a stage area, which hosts concerts. Artists that appeared at Tioga Downs have included Gretchen Wilson, Vanilla Ice, Tony Orlando, and Sister Sledge. During the warmer months, a trackside tent is available for wedding receptions, business meetings, parties, and awards' ceremonies. In 2011, The Tioga Downs Flea Market opened. In 2017, a hotel resort was added to the site.
Gaming[edit]
Tioga Downs has 802 VLTs, averaging ~92% payback. The racino offers player's club cards at three levels: classic, progressive and jackpot. Outside the gaming room Quick Draw and instant lottery tickets are available. Inside the racino, keno, video poker, and slot machines are available. The largest progressive offered is typically $250,000+ at a group of Hot Shot machines.
Racing[edit]
Tioga Downs schedules racing between May and September, typically on Friday and Saturday evenings (6:50 PM), and 1:30 PM on Sundays. The track record is 1:48.1, set by two horses: Bettor Sweet, in 2011, and Pet Rock, in 2013.
Financial history[edit]
Revenues from slot machines at Tioga Downs had increased steadily since opening in 2006. 'Net wins' (defined as total credits wagered minus total credits won) was $30 million during the abbreviated fiscal year 2006-2007, $43 million 2007-2008, $48 million 2008-2009, $50 million 2009-2010, $54 million 2010-2011, $60 million 2011-2012, and peaked in 2012-2013 at $61 million. The first year-over-year decline was recorded in 2013-2014 with the net win estimated at $57 million. On average, each slot machine contributes ~$200 in revenue per day (New York Lottery, 2014).
Expansion[edit]
The November 2013 voter approval of 'Proposal One'--an amendment to the New York State Constitution allowing table games at a prescribed number of venues--allowed the State of New York to issue a limited number of licenses for Las Vegas-style casinos in upstate New York. Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural applied for a license to expand Tioga Downs to become a full-fledged casino featuring table games. Gural's initial application was denied; however, Gov. Andrew Cuomo asked the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board to reconsider. In October 2015, the Board reversed its decision and issued a license to Tioga Downs.[1] The expanded Tioga Downs opened in December 2016.[2]
References[edit]
- ^Roby, John R. 'Full casino heading for Tioga Downs, Gural gets the OK'. Press & Sun-Bulletin.
- ^Campbell, Jon. 'Tioga Downs revenues top $827K in opening days'. Press & Sun-Bulletin.
- 'Tioga Downs plans to break ground following passage of casino gaming law'. The Daily Review. Towanda. November 20, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
- 'A confident Tioga Downs starts expansion'. Star Gazette. Elmira. November 18, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-29.
- York, Michelle (June 18, 2006). 'Placing Bets on the Harness Racing, but Putting Their Money on the Slot Machines'. The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- 'Tioga Downs owner bets racino will provide boost to Tier'. Press & Sun-Bulletin. Binghamton. March 19, 2006. Retrieved 2011-10-29.
- 'Tioga Park Closes'. The New York Times. July 20, 1978. Retrieved 2011-10-29.