It’s only twelve months since Uri Clinton was appointed as the president and COO of Empire City in Yonkers, New York, and now he is resigning. Clinton was one of the company’s fastest-rising stars and no stranger in northeast state capitals when MGM appointed him after acquiring the Empire City Casino and race track for $850 million in 2018.
Clinton, who holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from UNLV and a Juris doctorate from the Gonzaga University of Law, was the face of MGM in Connecticut, as he sought to block the state’s two tribes from mutually moving forward with a commercial gaming property in East Windsor.
The gaming executive argued that Connecticut failed to hold a competitive bidding process in its decision to legalize commercial gambling essentially. MGM sued Connecticut and is thought to have successfully lobbied the US Interior Department to delay signing off on Connecticut’s amended gaming compacts with the tribes that guaranteed they would continue sharing 25 percent of their slot revenue with the government. The Mashantucket Pequot and Mohegan Indians respectively own and operate Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods.
According to casino org, Clinton and MGM began pressuring the New York Legislature to allow the casino to introduce table games after relocating Yonkers for empire city. A current moratorium preventing new casino licenses for downstate New York doesn’t expire until 2023.
Debra DeShong, Empire City Casino spokesperson, reported to the media outlets that Clinton was stepping down, but he would continue supporting their development efforts as a consultant. DeShong didn’t give a reason for Clinton’s exit.
