State evaluating potential firms to conduct gambling study
By David Lombardo on October 30, 2019 at 1:47 PM
The state Gaming Commission is in the process of considering firms interested in conducting a comprehensive review of gambling in New York.
Proposals from interested parties were due two weeks ago, with the project scheduled to start on Dec. 1 and produce an initial draft by April 1. The analysis is expected to generate a major overhaul of the state's gambling landscape.
On Tuesday, state Gaming Commission Executive Director Rob Wiliams said the proposals were being reviewed by an evaluation committee. He didn't comment on how many firms were vying for the job, but said it was "similar" to the interest the first time the commission conducted its search.
This is the state's second attempt at selecting a firm to conduct the study, as they scrapped the initial search because of a tight timeline that called for a final report before the end of the year.
Williams is confident that the project is still on track and won't require additional time. A final report is due on June 1.
The study represents a change for the state, which didn't pursue a similar analysis before introducing video gaming terminals in 2002, or in 2013 with the adoption of Las Vegas-style casinos. By April, the state wants the review to be "substantially" done with an analysis of the existing casinos, the ramifications of issuing three new casino licenses and the potential market of online gambling, including sports wagering.