An apparent last-minute move by a hotel owner in Upstate New York could very well prove to be wind in the sails of the Wilmot Corporation's hopes to get a racino in Onondaga County

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According to a report by Your News Now, there was hope that the current owners of the Hotel Syracuse would refuse to pay taxes so the government would be able to seize the hotel and sell it to a developer which would move forward with renovations. The report states that the current owner paid the taxes at the last minute, thus scuttling any plans the government had with the prospective new owner of the hotel.

How does this affect the chances of a racino in Onondaga? The county now may be forced to more strongly consider the proposal of the Wilmot Corporation, which has offered to build a first-class hotel beside the local convention centre. The convention centre has been floundering in recent years due to lack of hotel accommodation for events at the centre. The Wilmot Corporation has said that it will build the hotel in close proximity to the convention centre if it is allowed to operate a racino elsewhere in the county.

Although the Wilmot option is now an option due to the most recent events with the owners of the Hotel Syracuse, legislators are saying that the county may have to step back and reassess the whole landscape.

“I think at this point, you know, we need to sit down in the County Executive's office, look at what options we have, try to create some other options in case the racino funding for the convention centre hotel doesn't go through," said Councilor Ryan McMahon, the soon-to-be chair of the county legislature. "Because it's critical to the convention centre business that we have this hotel.”

(With files from Your News Now)

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