Major Progress on New York Casinos as Montreign and Rivers finalize License Fees

Last year, the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) granted Empire Resorts Inc. and Rush Street Gaming preliminary approval to build Upstate New York casinos in the counties of Sullivan and Schenectady, respectively. This week, both companies paid off their 8-figure licensing fees of about $50 million each.

Montreign Resort Casino Sullivan

Empire Resorts Inc., owner of Montreign Operating Company, LLC, which is building the Montreign Resort Casino in Sullivan County’s town of Thompson, announced its completion of payment in a press release on Wednesday. After making an initial deposit of 10% of the full $51 million license fee last year, Montreign delivered the remainder of the balance to the NYSGC this week.

“We are delighted to announce Montreign has fulfilled the threshold conditions of its gaming facility license by paying the license fee and deposit obligations to New York State,” said Emanuel Pearlman, Chairman of Empire Resorts.

“We are also pleased that 10% of the license fee is expected to be shared between Sullivan County and the Town of Thompson, Montreign’s host community, as well as Orange, Ulster, Greene, Dutchess, Delaware and Columbia counties,” continued Pearlman.

The company began construction on the new casino a few months ago, and “thanks to the unusually mild winter weather, the efforts of our construction manager, LPCiminelli and their subcontractors, and a dedicated and highly skilled local union workforce,” said Pearlman, “construction is proceeding on schedule.”

Snapshot of Construction Cam at Montreign Resort on March 31, 2016

Montreign Resort Casino is being erected along New York State Route 17, just off exit 106, and is scheduled to open in early 2017. Anyone interested in keeping up with the progress is welcome to view the Montreign Casino Construction Cam recently installed by Empire, broadcasting and documenting the construction as it evolves into one of New York’s premier casino destinations.

Rivers Casino & Resorts Schenectady

This morning, Rush Street Gaming, operator of the upcoming Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, made a similar announcement. The group confirmed that they’ve finalized payment of a $50 million license fee to the NYSGC, as well as initiating online job postings for the New York casino.

“Rush Street Gaming is looking forward to adding Rivers Casino Schenectady to its growing portfolio of successful regional casinos,” said Greg Carlin, CEO of Rush Street Gaming. “With our construction partners hard at work, we are on track for an early 2017 opening which we believe will be a catalyst for significant economic development in the Capital Region.”

Town Mayor Gary McCarthy reciprocated the gratification of the new casino’s owners, saying, “Today marks yet another positive development for the City of Schenectady. The revenue generated by Rivers Casino & Resort will have a real impact on our budget, and help us provide more services and lower taxes to our residents,” said McCarthy.

He went on to promise that the funds generated for Schenectady by Rivers Casino’s licensure will be applied “to our fund balance and [used] toward property tax relief.”

Job Openings at Rivers Casino

The upcoming New York casino is already looking for employees to fill a range of positions, from marketing, security and human resources, to guest services, warehouse, slot attendants and live table dealers. You can see a complete list of Rivers Casino Job Openings here, along with descriptions, expected date of availability and links to apply.