Governor Andrew Cuomo says he does not want to see his casino proposal "politicized" by the State Legislature.
Cuomo made his comments Thursday, a day after he held a closed door meeting with Legislative leaders to discuss his casino plan. The Governor is proposing three casinos at first, all of them to be located upstate.
In an interview on the Capitol Pressroom on WBFO, Cuomo said he strongly believes casinos would help boost the upstate economy.
"If it's done independently, I think it will result in an economic boost for regions in upstate New York," Cuomo said. "It's one of the biggest opportunities we have. I think it would be a magnet to attract people from New York City. But it has to be right."
Following Wednesday's meeting with Cuomo, legislative leaders said the issue of where to put the casinos was not settled. Senate Republican Leader Dean Skelos and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver both said the site selection process is evolving.