Stale fare for New York; Web sites taken hostage

New York gaming regulators gave the state’s southern tier a second chance to submit plans for a casino — and they got leftovers. The only bidder was Tioga Downs owner Jeff Gural (left) who essentially proposed a supersized, $145 million version of his previous (rejected) plan … 1,000 slots, 50 table games and 161 hotel rooms. A rival, top-secret bid had been shaping up under developer Jeffrey C. Hyman, intended for Binghamton and promising “seismic impact.” However, at the eleventh hour Hyman dropped out, blaming the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation. Intended for a remediated industrial site, Hyman’s project didn’t qualify for redevelopment tax credits. Game over.

Now the question becomes on of whether the state accepts a second helping from Gural or deems it sufficiently garnished to qualify as a palatable new dish — or decides to stand pat with three new casinos, not four, despite political pressure from Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D). Gural’s promises of a rush job (“Assuming we get a license by the end of the year, we could be celebrating the Fourth of July next year in the new casino. We already have the core of a casino right now.”) might not be what the state wants to hear, depending on how quickly it wants to book the new tax revenue.

Innovation Group Managing Director Paul Girvan blames a saturated marketplace. “You can’t open a casino now without impacting revenue at another facility. Financing is the difficult part. We’re in a different world now,” he told the The Associated Press. We’re not saying Gural shouldn’t get a license but the Empire State may have as much gambling as it can handle, especially with three more resorts in the incubation stage.

* There’s life after Colony Capital for the Atlantic Club and it can be summarized in two words: “water parks.” Owner TJM Properties is planning to flip the defunct hotel to Endeavor Property Group, which would spend up to $165 million to create two water parks: a giant one for families and a smaller one with an adult vibe. The former casino floor would also be converted into family entertainment space and there’s talk of making some of the hotel rooms timeshare units. The two water parks would be indoors, giving tourists a year-round incentive to visit the Boardwalk.

* In the strangest story to emerge from Internet gaming, an unknown hacker sandbagged four Atlantic City casino Web sites last Thursday, threatening further attacks unless he was paid off in Bitcoin. To prove he was serious, the cyber bandit hit the four sites in question with “denial of service” assaults, flooding each with data for half an hour. It’s unclear whether the ransom was paid or the hacker was merely bluffing, for his threatened second strike, set to go off in 24 hours evidently didn’t occur. New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement Director David Rebuck said the DGE has a prime suspect in mind. Incidents like this reveal the true vulnerability of Internet gaming — not from underage players but from sophisticated Web malefactors.

* Horseshoe Casino Baltimore is bouncing back nicely from the riots that impeded business earlier this spring. However, its $23 million take is but a mediocre challenge to Maryland Live‘s $53 million. At least Caesars Entertainment can look on the bright side and see migration of business away from Maryland Live and back to Horseshoe now that the unrest had died down.

* Yesterday, we had a look at the tortured relationship between the town of Aquinnah and its namesake band of Wampanoag Indians. Given that the latter are dead-set on creating a Class II casino in the former, the town’s selectmen sent a cease-and-desist order. The tribe, in effect, replied ‘Drop dead’ and ‘All systems go.’ The Wampanoag are holding fast to their position that the Indian Gaming Regulation Act trumps all other precedents.