Feds give OK to casino in Monticello

Shannon McCaffrey

Thursday, April 6, 2000 | 4:56 a.m.

WASHINGTON - After three years of review, federal officials late Thursday gave the St. Regis Mohawk tribe approval to build a casino in the Catskill Mountains.

The OK from the Bureau of Indian Affairs allows the state to transfer 30 acres of land at the Monticello Raceway harness track to the tribe. The plan must still receive state approval.

Michael McKeon, a spokesman for Gov. George Pataki, said Pataki had not yet seen the letter of approval from the Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"But the governor has said generally he is supportive of casinos in traditional resort areas, like the Catskills," McKeon said.

Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is among those who supports the plan for the economically struggling region.

"It is one of the only real shots in the arm that can help Sullivan County," he said Thursday.

Rep. Maurice Hinchey, a Democrat whose district would contain the casino, agreed. He added that the casino would complement other outdoor recreational activities, most of which already exist.

"Sullivan County will become one of the premiere recreational opportunities in the Northeast," Hinchey said.

Opponents include Sen. Robert Torricelli, D-N.J., developer Donald Trump and other Atlantic City casino owners who worry it could siphon away gamblers from New York City. The casino would be just 75 miles from midtown Manhattan.

Torricelli said Thursday Pataki should win approval from New York's Legislature before transferring land to the tribe for the casino project.

"The Legislature has raised a question of his legal authority in this process, and I agree with them," Torricelli said.

Gambling has been a touchy issue with state lawmakers. In recent years, constitutional amendments to legalize casinos off Indian land have failed in the Legislature and there are serious doubts lawmakers would approve Indian gaming operations, either.

The St. Regis Mohawk reservation straddles the U.S.-Canada border in northern New York.