St. Regis Mohawk tribe denied application

7 Jan 2008

LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Empire Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: NYNY) today announced that on January 4, 2008, the company's partner, the St. Regis Mohawk's Tribe, received a letter from the Department of the Interior denying the Tribe's application to place 29.31 acres at the Monticello raceway into trust for the purposes of building a casino in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 ("IGRA"). The request was denied, according to the letter, based upon regulations promulgated under IGRA relating to the need of the Tribe for additional land, the purposes for which the land would be used, and the distance of the land from the Tribe's reservation.

"Clearly, the Department of the Interior's decision, particularly coming after so protracted and meticulous a process in which we cleared all other administrative hurdles, is very disappointing to us and our partners," stated David P. Hanlon, CEO and president of Empire Resorts. "Empire Resorts will continue to support the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe as it vigorously contests this regrettable decision.

"We want to express our continuing gratitude to all of the New York state and federal officials who have shown so much support for this project, including New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther," continued Mr. Hanlon.

"The company plans on meeting with these and other officials to discuss pursuing substantial economic development in the Catskills. The people of Sullivan County and the surrounding area have waited too long for Washington to wake up and come to its senses. In conjunction with all of our state and local supporters, it's time we took a hard look at a different approach to securing thousands of important jobs and economic opportunity," Hanlon concluded.

Empire Resorts will file a copy of the Department of the Interior letter attached to the Current Report on Form 8-K being filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

St. Regis Mohawk tribe denied application is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.

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	St. Regis Mohawk tribe denied application 7 Jan 2008 <a href='http://as1.casinocity.com/adclick.php?n=a21efcd1'><img src='http://as1.casinocity.com/adview.php?what=-site:vendors/width:250/RON&n=a21efcd1' border='0' alt=''></a> LAS VEGAS, Nevada -- (PRESS RELEASE) -- Empire Resorts, Inc. (NASDAQ: NYNY) today announced that on January 4, 2008, the company's partner, the St. Regis Mohawk's Tribe, received a letter from the Department of the Interior denying the Tribe's application to place 29.31 acres at the Monticello raceway into trust for the purposes of building a casino in accordance with the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act of 1988 ("IGRA"). The request was denied, according to the letter, based upon regulations promulgated under IGRA relating to the need of the Tribe for additional land, the purposes for which the land would be used, and the distance of the land from the Tribe's reservation. "Clearly, the Department of the Interior's decision, particularly coming after so protracted and meticulous a process in which we cleared all other administrative hurdles, is very disappointing to us and our partners," stated David P. Hanlon, CEO and president of Empire Resorts. "Empire Resorts will continue to support the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe as it vigorously contests this regrettable decision. "We want to express our continuing gratitude to all of the New York state and federal officials who have shown so much support for this project, including New York Governor Eliot Spitzer, Senator Charles Schumer, Congressman Maurice Hinchey, and Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charles Rangel, State Senator John Bonacic and Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther," continued Mr. Hanlon. "The company plans on meeting with these and other officials to discuss pursuing substantial economic development in the Catskills. The people of Sullivan County and the surrounding area have waited too long for Washington to wake up and come to its senses. In conjunction with all of our state and local supporters, it's time we took a hard look at a different approach to securing thousands of important jobs and economic opportunity," Hanlon concluded. Empire Resorts will file a copy of the Department of the Interior letter attached to the Current Report on Form 8-K being filed today with the Securities and Exchange Commission. St. Regis Mohawk tribe denied application is republished from CasinoCityTimes.com.