The pitches come from some of the world's largest
casino operators and
local business owners, each hoping to win a license to open one of up to four
casinos authorized in the Hudson Valley / Catskills area, the Albany - Saratoga region and the Southern Tier.
Major
casino operators are aggressively pushing for the licenses, and spent more than $ 11 million in the past two years to influence state and
local policymakers, according to the nonprofit New York Public Interest Research Group.