Of the bids put forth, Delaware North presents the strongestfinancial proposal with an up front payment of $370 million,according to an Assembly statement. "Combined with their successfultrack record as a partner of Saratoga Gaming, Finger Lakes Gamingand Fairgrounds Gaming, and with vast experience operating VLTs,Delaware North will build and operate a successful facility for theState of New York which will provide additional vital resources forthe local Queens community, the Upstate economy, and educationneeds throughout the State," the statement says.

The Governor revealed that he is pleased that Delaware North iscommitted to a process to specifically address the Queenscommunity's development needs and will effectively build on thateffort in future development phases. Delaware North, which operatesother combined race tracks and casinos in upstate New York, offeredthe state the biggest upfront payment of any the other bidders,republican senate majority leader Dean Skelos says in astatement.

Delaware North was unable to be reached for comment by deadline.Following the awarded deal though, Senate Republican leaders putthe brakes on a final deal, saying more needs to be done by thecompany before it signs off. In response, Gov. Paterson issued astatement saying that this is the best deal for all NewYorkers.