New York State Assembly Sub-committee on Casino Gambling Hearing Transcripts and Subject Files

The records in this series were produced or received by the subcommittee of the Assembly Standing Committee on Governmental Operations investigating the possibility of new legislation to legalize casino and other forms of gambling in New York. The records include hearing testimony and supporting statements, published and unpublished reports, correspondence, memoranda, press releases, clippings, gambling legislation from other states, and promotional material from the gaming industry. The series also contains a 30-minute videotape (3/4" format) of a 1981 debate on legalized gambling between the subcommittee chairperson Assemblywoman Gerdi Lipschutz and Bruce Detlefson.

The records provide information from a range of individuals interested in the gambling issue. These include state legislators and state agency officials, heads of local governments, police and criminal justice officials, local development and planning officials, labor representatives, religious leaders, civic association members, and hotel, travel and resort industry representatives.

The majority of the records provide evidence supporting new gambling legislation. Hearing testimony and reports illustrate the economic benefits of gambling to the state in the form of new jobs, increased revenues, and increased tourist business. The records include many references to the benefits of gambling to the states of Nevada and New Jersey. The testimony and clippings in the records also provide ample evidence of the negative aspects associated with the gambling industry, particularly pointing up the certain and dramatic increase in criminal activity likely to occur with the establishment of the casino gambling industry.

Video recording of a 1981 debate on legalized gambling between subcommittee chairperson Assemblywoman Gerdi Lipschutz and Bruce Detlefson has been digitized and is available in State Archives Digital Collections.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of this material.