New York Governor in casino contribution U-turn

Governor of New York has altered the law to allow campaign contributions from casino operators as gambling in the state looks set for expansion.

Governor Andrew Cuomo, who recently submitted a bill to the state legislature to allow four new casinos to be built, had originally opposed the idea, citing corruption in Albany – the capital city of the state of New York – as a result of the mixture of politics and gambling.

However, following negotiations between Cuomo and legislative leaders it was decided that contributions from gambling interests will no longer be prohibited.

The move looks set to benefit casino operators hoping to build resorts in the states’ four regions in Cuomo’s original proposal, although these locations are not yet known.

The proposed bill is still subject to a public referendum in November, where voters will opt whether to change the state constitution which currently prohibits traditional casinos and gambling games such as poker.

However the decision to alter the law has not been endorsed by everyone. “It’s actually very pathetic,” said Susan Lerner of New York advocacy organisation Common Cause. “We’ve had legislators led off in handcuffs, we have a significant number of Republicans and Democrats behind bars, and the only thing the legislature is interested in doing is expanding gambling. That’s some response to corruption.” Bruce Archer