Vernon Downs Hotel Casino will close for good at the start of October if Gov. Andrew Cuomo does not allow private casinos in the state to reopen by then, said Jeff Gural, chairman of the company. – Vernon Downs employs a little more 300 people, but had to furlough most of them when the casino and hotel shut down in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, owner Jeff Gural says he must lay off 300 people under New York State law.

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Vernon Downs Hotel Casino will close for good at the start of October if Gov. Andrew Cuomo does not allow private casinos in the state to reopen by then, said Jeff Gural, chairman of the company that owns Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs.

Casinos across the state have been closed since Cuomo's administration ordered them to shut down earlier this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Most casino workers, including the roughly 900 between Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs, have been furloughed since March and April.

Gural sent out notices under the federal WARN Act earlier this month. The act requires employers to provide advance notice of layoffs lasting more than six months.

The six-month mark is Oct. 1. Gural said that is when he would have to give up trying to reopen Vernon Downs and close it for good.

'At some point, we run out of money,' Gural said Tuesday afternoon. 'We're doing the best we can.'

Gural said horse racing still is taking place twice a week at Vernon Downs, but this would be forced to shut down by Labor Day if the casino did not reopen.

Science versus sense

Gural said he is taking advantage of the downtime by renovating hotel rooms, he said.

As part of the plan to reopen, both casinos are upgrading their air filters to MERV-13 filters as recommended at malls and shopping centers. Gural also is arranging to test all employees if they return, while making guests follow proper safety protocols.

The two casinos also have contracted with Well Health Safety out of the Binghamton area to monitor equipment and cleaning protocols, Gural said.

This is all without guidance from the state, Gural said, stating state officials have not returned his phone calls.

'We have a plan,' Gural said. 'No one has told us what to do to reopen.'

While Gural said Cuomo has done a good job in reining in the state's coronavirus numbers, he believes the governor is harming private casinos by keeping them closed.

He cited the Turning Stone Resort Casino, which reopened June 10 along with the other Oneida Indian Nation casinos, as proof that casinos can open safely. Native American-owned casinos are not required to follow the state shutdown orders.

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'It makes no sense Turning Stone is open and we're closed,' Gural said, adding that Vernon Downs is smaller than Turning Stone.

Freeman Klopott, a Cuomo spokesperson with the New York State Division of the Budget, said the state is following the data and latest science on the coronavirus as New York looks to reopen safely.

'Casinos remain closed along with similar activities across the state as they invite social gatherings with customers in proximity to each other while eating and drinking, activities that don't allow for consistent mask-wearing,' Klopott said in a statement. 'Nationwide, states are delaying reopening plans and rolling them back as COVID cases spike. We've already seen casinos in California, Arizona and Miami reopen and then close due to COVID.'

Klopott said New York would continue to track the data from casinos around the country and make the decision to reopen casinos when health experts determine it is safe to do so.

Local economy at risk

Vernon Town Supervisor Randy Watson said he is pleading with Cuomo to allow private casinos like Vernon Downs to reopen.

The casino and race track is among Vernon's largest employers, as Watson said roughly half the people that work there come from the town. In addition to the potential job loss, Watson said Vernon would also lose out on gaming money if the casino were to close.

Watson did not say how much the down receives, though he said Vernon Downs accounts for about 15% of the town's budget.

'They're a great member of the town,' Watson said of Vernon Downs. 'I don't remember them not being a part of the community.'

Watson, a former business owner said he understands the issues the casino is facing.

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'You can't survive without income,' he said.

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The town supervisor said he has reached out to state Sen. Joseph Griffo for help.

Griffo — calling Vernon Downs a 'Mohawk Valley fixture' that employs hundreds and supports the local economy — said he would do what he could to help.

The state Senate deputy minority leader urged Cuomo to find a way to allow Vernon Downs and similar facilities to open safely.

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'I have spoken to, and continue to speak with, local elected officials and the owner of Vernon Downs regarding the facility's future in Oneida County,' Griffo said in a statement. 'We will undertake a united and coordinated effort to support Vernon Downs. When the facility has faced challenges in the past, I have been at the forefront of and actively engaged in successful efforts to find assistance.'

Vernon Downs, which has been losing money over much of the last few months, has been subsidized with profits from Tioga Downs, Gural said. The desire not to harm the town is why Gural said he has kept Vernon Downs open.

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'That's the only reason,' he said.