Albany Sets Deadline For Aqueduct Bidders

Current bidders for the Aqueduct casino development project have recently been informed by state officials that a contract for the management of the video-gambling and hotel complex would be awarded by Aug. 1.

In addition, Gov. David Paterson's administration has further communicated that the facility must be opened by October 2011.

The Senate's current state of flux could throw a monkey wrench into those plans, however, considering the fact that all action has come to a vir tual halt in the legislative body over the past two weeks.

A decision on the part of Democratic senators Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate to jump on the Republican side and shift the balance of power preceded Monserrate's aboutface to realign with the Democrats, which has created a 31-31 tie in the Senate.

Definitively establishing a Senate leader is crucial since the determina- tion of the winning bidder must be unanimously approved by Paterson and the leaders of the Assembly and Senate.

Six bidding parties are currently in contention for the Aqueduct project, including Hard Rock Entertainment, MGM Mirage, Penn National Gaming, Delaware North and Las Vegas developer Steve Wynn.

Each one has received a letter from Paterson asking them to respond to financially-related questions, which they've been instructed to submit on a spreadsheet.

The data from each applicant will then be analyzed by state officials responsible for comparing the reports to one another.

Along with financial projections, the state is also requesting the com- panies to apprise them of how many of the 4,500 Video Lottery Terminals will be running when the yet-to-bebuilt casino opens its doors.

Bidders are additionally being asked for start-up dates for all adjoining facilities.