'Racinos' ante up to 'Save New York'

As a flushly-funded warchest that promotes the positions of an elected official, the Committee to Save New York has been loosely compared to a “Super PAC” like those now emerging in national election races.

More exactly, CSNY was identified as the state's biggest-spending lobby group in 2011, shelling out more than $10 million in support of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s governmental agenda.

Many saw its expenditures as effectively blunting ads from unions critical of the governor.CSNY also touted Cuomo’s plan to expand casino gambling as an economic-development goal. Now the committee is drawing more attention and discussion, given the $2 million it received from racinos – the horse tracks with video slot machines, such as Aqueduct, operated by the Malaysian casino giant Genting Berhad.

Updated links on the matter:

Cuomo, for his part, says it's all about jobs. Here are his remarks defending the transactions.

The remarks follow a withering editorial in the NY Times about the issue..

The Associated Press put the storm in perspective in this weekend piece..