May 22, 2013 — Mohawk tribal chiefs joined Governor Cuomo in Albany yesterday to announce a new deal on casino exclusivity.

They signed off on settling a long-running dispute over revenues from the Mohawks' Akwesasne Casino near Massena. In return, the Mohawks will get exclusive gaming rights in the 8-county North Country region.

David Sommerstein joined Martha Foley to sort out what the deal means for the North Country and the Mohawk land claim.  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, May 21, 2013 — Fresh off a deal with the Oneida Nation, Governor Cuomo stood with chiefs of the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe this afternoon to announced a deal to resolve gaming issues that affect the North Country.  Go to full article

May 17, 2013 — For the first time, the Oneida Indian Nation has entered into an agreement to share some of its gambling revenues with New York state. The concession means there's no risk of a competing state-run casino in the Nation's backyard.  Go to full article

May 14, 2013 — Governor Andrew Cuomo has outlined plans to expand organized gaming in the state, arguing the addition of three casinos in upstate New York would bring substantial economic benefits to the region.

"We have gaming. The question really is, should we recognize the reality of our situation, and fully participate in casinos and gaming, and actually regulate it intelligently and tie it into our overall tourism efforts."

But, casino development has other implications including, as researchers have discovered, a significant impact on health.  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, Jan 11, 2013 — New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's State of the State address offered more details on a plan to expand casino gambling in New York State. The governor described casino development as an integral part of his ambitions for reviving the economy across the state, and he wants new casinos upstate first.  Go to full article

Dec 19, 2012 — Governor Cuomo shed some more light Tuesday on his plans for expanding gambling in New York. But he said he didn't want to identify specific places where non-native owned casinos should be built.

Cuomo said that should be the job of the gaming industry in a competitive bidding process. "I would leave it to the operators, the experts, to say, you tell me," said Cuomo, "within these regions of the state, where do you think the best market is, where would you site it to maximize economic opportunity, maximize job growth."  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Mar 28, 2012 — NCPR's occasional series on North Country entrepreneurs continues, with Aaron Reardon. Reardon's a young guy, and a hard-nosed businessman. He started his first online business in college, and in June of 2007 he opened a bricks-and-mortar business: A gaming store in Canton called "Gamer Craze."

In the last five years, Gamer Craze has moved to a bigger space, opened and closed a second store in Potsdam, and shifted much of its business from traditional video games to a collectable trading card game called Magic: The Gathering. It's done well, and Reardon's now looking for a bigger space.

Gamer Craze is one of just a few bricks-and-mortar shops in the North Country where players can come to buy what they need and they can play, too: Reardon keeps tables set up for gaming, and sells snacks. As Nora Flaherty found when she talked with Aaron Reardon, much of the store's success has come from making it a place to hang out.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Mar 27, 2012 — In a nutshell, Aaron Reardon, owner of Gamer Craze in Canton, explains what Magic: The Gathering is, exactly.  Go to full article

Canton, NY, Mar 27, 2012 — A longer version of Nora Flaherty's conversation with Gamer Craze owner Aaron Reardon  Go to full article

Rensselaer, NY, Jan 20, 2012 — A plan to build the largest convention center in the nation was the centerpiece of Governor Andrew Cuomo's State of the State speech. Since then the plan has met with mixed reviews and the governor admits he has more selling to do. In Albany, Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article