Buying the votes in New York and Shutting Out the Public

Genting’s bid to influence US lawmakers

New York governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a deal with Genting to build the country’s largest convention centre next to its racetrack casino.

NEW YORK: As the battle over casino expansion heats up in New York, gambling interests are ratcheting up their spending on lobbyists—and their campaign contributions.

Over the last year and a half, two of the biggest spenders on the gambling front—the Seneca Nation of Indians and Genting New York—have dramatically boosted their efforts to influence the state’s lawmakers.

And opponents of gambling said the casinos’ political dollars will make it hard for lawmakers to hear their side of the story.

“We can’t begin to spend money like they are,” said Joel Rose, chairman of the Coalition Against Gambling in New York, which includes secular groups that fear gambling’s economic impact and religious groups that oppose it on moral grounds.

“We will be talking to legislators and we will get our message out. Not as repeatedly as they will—they’re trying to buy the state.”

The Seneca Nation of Indians, which operates three full-fledged casinos, gave $142,500 in campaign contributions in the last half of 2011, more than any other gambling-related entity.

Genting New York, the unit of the Malaysian company Genting Berhad that operates the recently opened Resorts World New York racino at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens, was the next-largest gambling-oriented donor in the second half of 2011, with nearly $100,000 in contributions.

The company contributed $96,900 to an array of elected officials, party committees and a political action committee dedicated to expanding gaming solely at the state’s nine racetrack casinos, including Genting’s lucrative new facility at Aqueduct.

Genting gave $20,000 to the state Senate Republican Campaign Committee and $10,000 each to the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee, the state Democratic Senate Campaign Committee and Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Genting spent $975,000 last year on a team of lobbyists in its bid to carve out a place for itself in the state’s gambling landscape. The Senecas spent $73,557 in the first half of 2011; its second-half numbers have not been posted.

“Most groups do end up spending more on lobbying than on campaign contributions,” said NYPIRG’s Bill Mahoney.

“There’s no limits on that, first off. And they’ve mastered the art of running ads that have just as much of an impact in terms of influencing elected officials that lobbying works better for them in some ways.”

For Genting, the spending may be paying off. This month, Cuomo announced a deal with Genting to build the country’s largest convention center next to its racetrack casino, though the governor quickly had to defend the plan against criticism that it was premature and that his negotiations lacked transparency.

The deal also raised concerns that the company would have the inside track to getting exclusive rights to operate a casino in New York City. A spokesman for Genting did not respond to a request for comment.

Agencies