On Tuesday, November 5, Proposition 1, a constitutional amendment which would see the expansion of casino gaming in New York State, was supported by the voting public via referendum.
A report by WBNG-TV explains that voters passed Proposition 1 by a vote of 1,384,370 to 1,040,473.
Proposition 1 will allow seven Las Vegas-like casinos to be built in the state, and up to two casinos could be built in the southern tier of the state, which includes Tioga Downs.
The report has quoted Tioga Downs CEO Jeff Gural as saying, "I intend to call the contractor in the morning and give him the go ahead to start phase one of our hotel expansion project immediately, which is the indoor parking garage part of the project so we will be creating construction jobs almost immediately.”
"The passage of Proposal One is a big win for local governments, school districts, and taxpayers across New York State,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said via statement.
After the vote, Gov. Cuomo told reporters, “We literally hemorrhage people from the borders who go to casinos. I think it will keep the money in this state, and I think it’s a major economic development vehicle for the Hudson Valley especially and for upstate New York.”
(With files from the New York Daily News, The New York Times and WBNG-TV)