That question has surfaced at the statehouse where some lawmakers are pushing to legalize online poker while Jeff Gural, the operator of Vernon Downs, a racino in Oneida County, says he fears he will have to close his operations and lay off hundreds of workers to stem mounting financial losses.
The discussion over the state’s gaming policy is heating up less than a year after three full-service casinos opened in upstate New York. They joined nine racinos, including Vernon Downs, as well as 11 venues operated by Native American tribes. Those include the Seneca Nation casinos in Niagara Falls, Irving, Cuba and Salamanca, as well as the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino and the Mohawk Bingo Palace and Casino, both ln Franklin County.