Gaming Commission, New York State

Agency Web Site: http://www.gaming.ny.gov/

Mission

The New York State Gaming Commission regulates all aspects of gaming and gambling activity in the state, including horse racing and pari-mutuel wagering, Class III Indian Gaming, commercial casino gaming, the state lottery (including video lottery terminals) and charitable gaming. The New York State Gaming Commission was formally created via Chapter 60 of the Laws of 2012 as part of the 2012-13 Enacted State Budget. This measure merged the New York State Racing and Wagering Board with the New York State Division of Lottery creating a single state agency. The law also consolidated the administration of the New York Thoroughbred Breeding & Development Fund and the Agriculture & New York State Horse Breeding Development Fund into the Office of Racing Promotion and Development under the umbrella of the Gaming Commission. The New York State Gaming Commission became effective February 1, 2013.

The New York State Gaming Commission's mission is to ensure that all lawful gaming and horse racing activity conducted in this State is of the highest integrity, credibility and quality. Operating in the most efficient and transparent manner, the Commission conducts the New York Lottery and serves the best interests of the public by providing responsive and effective State gaming regulation. The Commission strives to ensure that all stakeholders in the gaming and horse racing industries, including the consumers who wager on activities regulated or operated by the Commission, are treated in an equitable and responsible manner. The Commission is also tasked with promoting the health and safety of horses and all participants in racing. By consolidating various regulatory functions into one oversight body with broad powers, the Commission is able to ensure fair and strict regulation of all gaming activity while reducing costs and regulatory burdens to the gaming industry. The Commission provides the regulatory structure necessary for New York gaming activity to operate effectively in a global, evolving and increasingly competitive marketplace, to generate revenue for aid to education and for the support of government, and to contribute to overall economic development and job creation in New York.

Budget Highlights

The Executive Budget recommends $146.2 million All Funds for the Commission, an increase of $31.7 million (27.7 percent) in All Funds from the amount appropriated in 2014-15. The increase is due to a new local assistance appropriation of $34.2 million. State Finance Law section 97-nnnn requires that the State must provide local host governments of commercial casinos with 10 percent of the State's commercial gaming tax revenue and non-host counties within the gaming region with an additional 10 percent of the commercial gaming revenue. Accordingly, the Executive Budget recommends a local assistance appropriation of $34.2 million, which represents the local share of the State's estimated revenues from commercial gaming licenses fees projected to be received in SFY 2015-16.

The Executive Budget recommends a workforce of 405 FTEs for the Commission, a decrease of 1 FTE from the 2014-15 budget due to the transition of Human Resource (HR) services into the Business Services Center (BSC).

Note: Most recent estimates as of 01/21/2015

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