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Catskill casino still faces obstacles

ALBANY, New York – As reported by the New York Democrat & Chronicle: "Don't hold your breath, casino supporters.

"Just because Gov. Eliot Spitzer and the St. Regis Mohawks reached a deal on opening the first casino in the Catskill Mountain region doesn't mean it's going to happen. The federal government must sign off on the pact and it has expressed concerns about sanctioning a gaming hall so far from the Mohawks' reservation.

"…Mohawk officials contend that Spitzer's backing could influence the federal government's decision — and become the tipping point that finally gets an Indian casino sited in the Catskills, more than five years after the Legislature authorized three casinos in the region.

"…The Mohawks and Spitzer announced this week a pact that would sanction a casino at the Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County.

"…But there's a track record of casino agreements falling apart in New York. Most notably, previous Gov. George Pataki's deal with the Mohawks and four other tribes to build casinos in exchange for settling long-standing land-claim lawsuits was upended by a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in 2005.

"And the Mohawk deal still faces two hurdles: approval by the federal government and a lawsuit challenging the casino on environmental grounds…"

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