TV ads, invoking the words of then-Gov. Mario Cuomo 19 years ago, are being used to fight an expansion of casinos in the state — a proposal that is favored by Cuomo’s son, the current governor.
“There is a respectable body of economic thought that holds that casino gambling is actually economically regressive to a state and a community,” the elder Cuomo is heard saying on the anti-casino cable ad paid for by the Committee Against Proposition 1.
Casino gambling “doesn’t generate wealth. It just redistributes it,” he added.
The ad pits his words against his son, Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who supports an amendment on Tuesday’s ballot that would allow the opening of up to seven Vegas-style casinos, starting with four upstate.
But even before the cable TV ad began airing Friday, backers of the casino expansion got the former governor to say he see things differently today than he did in 1994.
“A great deal has changed in 20 years,” Mario Cuomo said in a statement. “The New York that I was dealing with was a different place. We didn’t have casinos on every border.”
“Proposition One will keep $1.2 billion in gaming revenue and thousands of jobs in our state by allowing regulated casino development,” he added.