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Genting Group wants to build Sterling Forest Resort at Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center in Orange County.(Photo: Genting Group)

Last November, 57 percent of voters gave their approval to the Upstate NY Gaming Economic Development Act, which promised to breathe new life into communities that have been declining for decades by allowing non-Indian casinos in certain regions.

Competition for the first four licenses already has turned into a horse race with 22 entities or partnerships each depositing a $1 million application fee in late April. And though interest is high, there already is concern that some of the casinos may end up too close to New York City and the northern suburbs; that traffic and other impacts won't be worth the tax revenue; and that the promised economic boon won't materialize.

Ten developers want to build casino resorts in the Catskills/Hudson Valley region — five in Orange, four in Sullivan and one in Ulster. An 11th, Hudson Valley Gaming LLC, has not revealed its backers or intentions, and another developer may be looking to build in the region.

Besides gambling and upscale hotels, the "destination resorts," as the state is calling them, would include features such as indoor/outdoor water parks, ziplining, golf courses, high-end retail shopping and alpine sliding.

The former Nevele Hotel is seen in Wawarsing on May 29. More investors say they are interested in opening a casino in upstate New York despite an increasingly saturated Northeast market and a lagging economy.(Photo: Mike Groll AP)

"There's been such an explosion of casino development here in the Northeast that I think now, to be recognized, you've got to differentiate yourself," said Michael DiTullo, president and CEO of Rockland Economic Development Corp.

The proposals in Orange County, particularly for Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Flaum Management Co. to build near Woodbury Common Premium Outlets, are troubling for developers that long have been planning casinos in Sullivan and Ulster and for Empire City in Yonkers, which hopes to become a full-fledged casino after the sun sets on a seven-year waiting period for up to three downstate gambling resorts.

INTERACTIVE: A look at the proposed casinos

Developers and local officials said Ulster and Sullivan are worse off economically than Orange, and the law's intent is to help depressed areas. Gamblers from New York City, its suburbs and nearby states might travel only as far as Woodbury Common, which already gets more than 13 million visitors a year, or Tuxedo, where the Genting Group wants to build Sterling Forest Resort.

Building a casino near the outlets would spoil the plan to revitalize the Catskills, DiTullo said."If people can go to Woodbury, why go to Monticello?" he said.

Orange vs. Catskills

Michael Treanor, who stepped aside as CEO of Claremont Partners Ltd. Thursday, said three years of work and $10 million spent so far in Warwarsing, Ulster County, near Ellenville, would be for naught if the state approved a casino in Orange. In 2011, his company launched a project to redevelop the once-majestic Nevele Grande Hotel, which closed in 2009 after more than 100 years in operation, albeit with a much-diminished reputation in recent history.

"We're not going to build a casino at the Nevele if there's one approved for Orange County," he said. "You can just take Ellenville and erase it off the map."

His resignation followed a published report about his sister accusing him of sexual assault in 2007. It said he pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of third-degree assault.

The median household income in Orange from 2008 to 2012 was $70,712 a year, compared with $48,050 in Sullivan and $58,934 for Ulster, the U.S. Census Bureau found. It was $57,683 statewide. Ellenville's unemployment rate is more than 13 percent, Treanor said.

The state Gaming Facility Location Board will choose the winning bids this fall, at least one each in the Capital Region, Eastern Southern Tier and Catskills/Hudson Valley. One region will get two. Licenses will cost between $20 million and $70 million, depending on the region.

Louis Cappelli, a Valhalla-based developer whose Concord Associates is working on a casino resort in Thompson, Sullivan County, with the Mohegan Indian Nation, agreed. His project probably wouldn't move forward if a license were approved for Orange County, or it would be much smaller, he said.

Cappelli said he wants to know whether the state will give last-minute bidders for Orange County casinos extra time to go through the state's environmental review process and complete all the necessary studies. The answer will be a "deal maker or breaker," he said. His project has done the work, has building permits and could start right away, he said. How fast a facility could be completed is a factor in granting licenses.

The state Gaming Commission said Friday it hasn't considered extending the period for environmental reviews because it doesn't think that would be necessary. Developers will have 24 months to open a casino or face losing their license or fines. The state agency was responding to questions developers posed at a mandatory conference Wednesday in Albany.

The state should set the minimum amount of capital required for the different regions much higher for Orange, more than $1.5 billion, Cappelli said. "That's going to tell us other developers everything we need to know about the mindset of the state as it relates to the economic development portion of this. This was originally supposed to be an economic development plan, and now it's turning into just a money plan," he said.

There are 22 applicants for four new casinos this year, at least 10 in Orange, Sullivan and Ulster counties. (Video by Cara Matthews/The Journal News) Video by Cara Matthews/The Journal News

Fighting traffic

No matter where the region's one or two casinos are located, residents will face more traffic problems, Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus said at a recent public presentation for Cordish Companies' and Penn National's South Blooming Grove casino proposal.

"We should be fighting for this because we can get revenue if one is located in Orange County, flat out, we saw that," he said. "We need jobs and money just as much as anybody else."

A Catskills casino was a great idea 40 years ago, Charles Jacobs, Cordish's general counsel, said at the meeting. "But as the years have marched on and casinos have become more localized, we find that people don't like to drive two hours each way to go to a casino if they could drive 90 minutes or 45 minutes," he said.

Besides reviving local economies, creating jobs and increasing local school and government aid, casinos are expected to bring back New Yorkers who patronize out-of-state casinos and draw new tourists.

The largest factor in evaluating applications – 70 percent of the score — will be the impact on economic activity and business development. Twenty percent will be based on local impact and siting factors like public support and ability to reduce potential negative impacts. The rest is for workforce development initiatives.

Ten percent of the state's tax revenue will be split between the host municipality and host county; 10 percent will go to surrounding counties for school aid and/or property-tax relief; and the remaining 80 percent will fund education and local governments and defray property taxes statewide. Though Rockland, Westchester and Putnam are close to Orange and the Catskills, they will not get extra funds surrounding counties in that region will see.

Woodbury village Mayor Michael Queenan said host communities and regions would get a lot of new money and jobs, but there are negatives. A casino would place a heavier burden on sewer capacity and water supply, and it could lead to more crime and traffic, particularly because of Woodbury Common, he said.

Divided over casino benefits

The Orthodox Jewish village of Kiryas Joel adopted a resolution opposing the Woodbury casino because of concerns about traffic, water supply and sewage capacity, and because it would "subject our young people to adverse influences," according to a published report.

Jerry Perlmutter, who has commuted from New City to White Plains since 1973, said he doesn't think a Woodbury casino would impact commuting.

"People who are going to go there are going to go at odd times," he said.

Mary Wiley of Blooming Grove said she thinks a local casino is a good idea.

"I think in this time of uncertain economics, when our town isn't sure how we're going to pay our bills next year, this is a very good opportunity for us to change our tax base," she said.

But Blooming Grove Town Board member Brandon Nielsen opposes a casino, saying it isn't the right environment and it's not why families moved there. Town and village taxpayers would get little financial benefit, and "It would be miserable from a traffic perspective," he said.

As a condition of getting a license, developers have to take measures to alleviate traffic — already an issue — and other negative impacts.

Casinos bring important benefits but New Yorkers need to manage their expectations, said Jonathan Drapkin, president and CEO of Hudson Valley Pattern for Progress, a planning group. Some states aren't getting as much money as they expected.

"There isn't a limitless amount of money that can be spent on this, but there is a market," he said.

In general, any increased crime when a casino is built can be explained by the increased number of visitors, said gambling policy expert Joseph Kelly, a business law professor at State University of New York at Buffalo. Next to nuclear power, gambling is the most highly regulated industry in the country, he said.

Any time gambling is expanded, more people can be drawn in and become addicted, said James Maney, head of the New York Council on Problem Gambling. Casinos will pay a $500 annual fee for each slot machine and table game, which could raise $4.7 million for gambling addiction programs.

"What we're trying to do is make sure that we have enough resources to address education, prevention, treatment and recovery for the folks in New York," he said.

Casino proposals

Greenetrack

Location: 140 acres in New Windsor

Description: Roughly $400 million casino resort with 80,000 square feet of gaming space, 350-room hotel, convention center and other amenities

Job estimates: 1,800 for construction, more than 2,500 permanent

Saratoga Casino and Raceway

Location: 70 acres on Route 17K, across from Orange County Choppers in Newburgh

Description: An 890,000-square-foot facility with a 500-room resort-style hotel, entertainment venues and high-end retail

Job estimates: 2,400 for construction, more than 2,500 permanent

The Cordish Companies and Penn National Gaming

Location: 125 acres on Route 208 in South Blooming Grove

Description: $750 million casino resort

Job estimates: 3,000 for construction, 3,500 permanent

Caesars Entertainment Corp. and Flaum Management Co.

Location: 121 acres near the Harriman Metro-North Railroad station in Woodbury village

Description: $750 million casino resort with a hotel, restaurants, bars, retail stores and entertainment/meeting space

Job estimates: 2,800 for construction, 2,500 permanent

RW Orange County LLC by Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP (Genting Group)

Location: 238 acres on the site of Tuxedo Ridge Ski Center in Tuxedo

Description: Sterling Forest Resort would recreate Sterling Forest Gardens, which was replaced by the Renaissance Faire in 1978, upgrade the ski center and add off-season activities like ziplining and alpine sliding

Job estimates: 2,000 permanent

Claremont Partners Ltd., Nevele Investors

Location: The former Nevele Grande Hotel in Warwarsing, near Ellenville

Description: The roughly $500 million new Nevele Resort, Casino & Spa would include a roughly 75,000-square-foot casino, a golf course, ziplining, cabaret entertainment and other amenities

Job estimates: 2,000 for construction, at least 2,100 permanent

Louis Cappelli's Concord Associates, Mohegan Indian Nation

Location: Bridgeville hamlet, Thompson

Description: The first phase of the Mohegan Sun at the former Concord Hotel would include up to a 63,000-square-foot casino, 252 hotel rooms, meeting space, a spa and restaurants

Job estimates: 2,000 for construction, about 1,500 permanent

Empire Resorts Inc. (owner/operator of Monticello Casino & Raceway) and EPR Properties

Location: 1,700 acres at the former Concord Resort, Kiamesha Lake hamlet, Thompson

Description: The $750 million Adelaar project would include a nearly 400-room hotel, a 70,000-square-foot casino gaming floor, a conference center, spa, water park and entertainment venues

Job estimates: Nearly 5,000 permanent jobs

Stockbridge-Munsee Indians and Trading Cove New York LLC

Location: 330 acres next to the Neversink River that used to be an auto junkyard and gravel mine, Bridgeville hamlet, Thompson

Description: Developers can't estimate the project's cost and details until the state announces the minimum capital investment for proposed casinos

Job estimates: Unavailable

Foxwoods Casino and Muss Development, and Sullivan Resorts LLC

Location: 1,200 acres on and next to Selig Grossinger's Catskill Resort Hotel, which closed in 1986, Liberty

Description: The roughly $400 million Foxwoods/Muss project calls for a casino, restaurants, 350 hotel rooms, retail stores, outdoor attractions and entertainment venues

Job estimates: 1,500 construction jobs and 1,800 permanent

Casino timeline

• March 31: State Gaming Commission issued request for applications.

• April 23: $1 million application fee due.

• April 30: Mandatory conference for applicants.

• Early May: State to set minimum investment amount for casino applicants.

• June 30: Deadline for applications to be submitted.

• On or after July 21: Oral presentation of applications.

• Early fall: Selection of four gaming facility operators.