An Alabama-based gambling operator with ties to the Rev. Al Sharpton is launching a splashy campaign to open a casino in New York, The Post has learned.
Greenetrack is run by Luther “Nat” Winn Jr., who serves on the board of directors of Sharpton’s National Action Network. As a teenager, the businessman marched for civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. in Alabama.
Meanwhile, the Movement Group — the lobbying firm of Sharpton confidant Charlie King, who is a former national director of NAN and one-time executive director of the state Democratic Party — has been retained by Greenetrack to push its upstate venture, state records show.
The firm has tapped other seasoned Albany lobbyists including Tiffany Raspberry’s Brooklyn-based York Group Associates.
Greenetrack recently launched a Web site — gamingfornewyork.com — to promote its interest in bidding on a casino license in one of the three upstate regions, including the Catskills.
A brochure on the site touts Winn’s ties to the Catskills region, strongly suggesting he wants to roll the dice there and be part of its revival.
“Many young black men and women had to travel up north for summer employment. As a result, at the age of 16, Mr. Winn started working in the Catskill Mountains of New York as a dish washer and a glass washer at the Flagler Hotel and the Raleigh Hotel in South Fallsburg,” the company said.
“In the late ’60s, the Catskills were prosperous and overflowing with tourists from around the world including Hollywood celebrities. Mr. Winn’s time in the Catskills was some of the most memorable of his life.”
And Winn cites his link to Sharpton’s group. “As a board member of the National Action Network, he [Winn] continues to support the fight for justice and equality for all,’’ the site says.
For his part, Sharpton claimed he was not playing holy roller for a casino. He said he hasn’t had any discussions with Winn or King about Greenetrack’s New York initiative.
“It’s the first I’ve heard of it. I don’t know anything about that,” Sharpton said of Greenetrack’s casino bid.
“I have no idea what it is. They haven’t talked to me about it. This is a surprise to me.”
Greenetrack is currently open for business, but the legal dispute continues.
Greenetrack, in a statement to The Post, confirmed its interest in betting on New York.
“Our intent is to mirror our success by selecting a location which will maximize revenues to the state while providing well-paying local jobs and tourism revenue to the local economy,” the company said touting its record as a minority-owned business.
“We expect that our bid will be seriously considered should we choose to apply for the gaming license. Accordingly, Greenetrack is building a team to explore this possibility as well as to handle community outreach across the state and to educate New Yorkers on Greenetrack’s accomplished casino gaming operation.”
But the legality of its Eutaw, Ala., gambling operation has been called into question. The Alabama attorney general seized 376 electronic bingo gambling machines in 2011 after claiming the operation was illegal. Greenetrack maintains the operation is legal because Greene County voters overwhelmingly approved electronic bingo in 2003.