§ 1311. License authorization; restrictions. 1. The commission is
authorized to award up to four gaming facility licenses, in regions one,
two and five of zone two. The duration of such initial license shall be
ten years. The term of renewal shall be determined by the commission.
The commission may award a second license to a qualified applicant in no
more than a single region. The commission is not empowered to award any
license in zone one. No gaming facilities are authorized under this
article for the city of New York or any other portion of zone one.
As a condition of licensure, licensees are required to commence gaming
operations no more than twenty-four months following license award. No
additional licenses may be awarded during the twenty-four month period,
nor for an additional sixty months following the end of the twenty-four
month period. Should the state legislatively authorize additional gaming
facility licenses within these periods, licensees shall have the right
to recover the license fee paid pursuant to section one thousand three
hundred six of this article.
This right shall be incorporated into the license itself, vest upon
the opening of a gaming facility in zone one or in the same region as
the licensee and entitle the holder of such license to bring an action
in the court of claims to recover the license fee paid pursuant to
section one thousand three hundred fifteen of this article in the event
that any gaming facility license in excess of the number authorized by
this section as of the effective date of this section is awarded within
seven years from the date that the initial gaming facility license is
awarded. This right to recover any such fee shall be proportionate to
the length of the respective period that is still remaining upon the
vesting of such right.
Additionally, the right to bring an action in the court of claims to
recover the fee paid to the state on the twenty-fourth day of September,
two thousand ten, by the operator of a video lottery gaming facility in
a city of more than one million shall vest with such operator upon the
opening of any gaming facility licensed by the commission in zone one
within seven years from the date that the initial gaming facility
license is awarded; provided however that the amount recoverable shall
be limited to the pro rata amount of the time remaining until the end of
the seven year exclusivity period, proportionate to the period of time
between the date of opening of the video lottery facility until the
conclusion of the seven year period.
2. Notwithstanding the foregoing, no casino gaming facility shall be
authorized:
(a) in the counties of Clinton, Essex, Franklin, Hamilton, Jefferson,
Lewis, Saint Lawrence and Warren;
(b) within the following area: (1) to the east, State Route 14 from
Sodus Point to the Pennsylvania border with New York; (2) to the north,
the border between New York and Canada; (3) to the south, the
Pennsylvania border with New York; and (4) to the west, the border
between New York and Canada and the border between Pennsylvania and New
York; and
(c) in the counties of Cayuga, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Lewis,
Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego and Otsego.
3. As a condition for continued licensure, licensees shall be required
to house upon the physical premises of the licensed gaming facility, a
mobile sports wagering platform provider's server or other equipment
used for receiving mobile sports wagers pursuant to section 1367-a of
the racing, pari-mutuel wagering and breeding law; provided however,
that such licensee shall be entitled to the reasonable and actual costs,
as determined by the gaming commission, of physically housing and
securing such server or other equipment used for receiving mobile sports
wagers at such licensee's licensed gaming facility; and provided
further, that as consideration for housing and securing such server at
the physical premises of the licensed gaming facility, mobile sports
wagering platform providers shall pay to such licensed gaming facility,
five million dollars per year for the duration of the time that such
server is housed and operating at the physical premises of such licensed
gaming facility.