Casino Deals Are Stalled by State, U.S. and Tribal Hurdles

MONTICELLO, N.Y. - New York State approved the construction of three Indian casinos for the old resort areas here in the Catskills more than two years ago, and people in the area practically began to count the money they expected to get from gamblers and construction projects and new jobs. But little has happened since then.

The Catskills casinos are bogged down in the same legal and cultural quagmire that has bedeviled the state's relations with Indian tribes for generations: land ownership, taxes and sovereignty. "There's been a lot of talk and a lot of hype, but no action," said William Darwak, the Ulster County administrator. "No money, either."