New York State Executive Chamber | Governor Eliot Spitzer

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 19, 2007

STATE AUTHORIZES CATSKILL CASINO

Spitzer and Mohawk Chiefs Issue Joint Appeal for Final Federal Approval

TRIBAL-STATE COMPACT BETWEEN THE SAINT REGIS MOHAWK TRIBE AND THE STATE OF NEW YORK (pdf format)

Governor Eliot Spitzer today announced an agreement with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe to build a casino in the Catskills.

The agreement amends an existing gaming compact with the Mohawks, granting the tribe authority to build and operate a gaming facility at Monticello Raceway in Sullivan County.

"This agreement creates an economic partnership between the Mohawks and the people of New York,” Spitzer said. “By working together, we can establish a premier gaming facility that will produce significant revenues for the tribe and the state, and help spark a resurgence of the Catskills region."

Under the compact, the state will receive 20 percent of revenues from slot machines for the first two years, 23 percent for the next two years, and 25 percent thereafter.

The Mohawks have agreed to comply with applicable tax, labor, and health laws, as those laws relate to the Monticello casino project.

In conjunction with signing the agreement, Governor Spitzer sent a "concurrence letter," as required by federal law, to U.S. Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne. The letter is a formal notice indicating that use of the property for casino purposes is in the best interest of the tribe and surrounding community.

The Governor and the tribal chiefs urged the Department of the Interior to move quickly to take the raceway into trust in order that the gaming facility be built and operated in compliance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council issued the following statement: "We commend Governor Spitzer’s decisive action and commitment to our Sullivan County casino project which we believe will generate tremendous opportunities in and around the Catskills region. We rejoice in the prospects this important project presents for the future of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, the people of Sullivan County, and New Yorkers across the state."

The proposed $600 million Monticello casino project is expected to create more than 3,000 full-time jobs.