New York Developer Proposes Small Town Casino Resort

Friday February 24, 2006

As reported by the Democrat & Chronicle: "After failing in his bid two years ago to bring a casino to downtown Rochester, local mall magnate Thomas Wilmot is once again setting his sights on the small town of Sennett, Cayuga County, for a $400 million casino and resort complex.

"Working with the Seneca-Cayuga Tribe of Oklahoma, Wilmot unveiled an eye-popping proposal this week that calls for a 300-room luxury hotel and a Las Vegas-style casino nestled into the hills of the Finger Lakes.

"But while the idea has been all the talk in the small town, the odds are stacked high against the proposal becoming reality. The tribe is embroiled in a long-shot legal quest to gain sovereignty on the local land; Gov. George Pataki said he wouldn't negotiate with an out-of-state tribe; and the proposal would face big opposition from powerful tribes already established in New York?"