ALBANY, NY—The New York Gaming Facility Location Board on Monday named Chicago-based law firm Taft, Stettinius & Hollister LLP as its consultant in the upcoming review of anticipated applications from casino license applicants later this year.

The law firm, which has experience in drafting requests for proposals for casino projects and has worked for state gaming regulators in Colorado, Louisiana, Missouri, Chicago, Detroit and Springfield, MA, bested four other firms that responded to a request for proposals issued last November. The Facility Location Board's primary duty is to select, through a competitive process, not more than four gaming facility license applicants to be located in the Catskills/Hudson Valley Region, the Eastern Southern Tier and the Capital Region. The Facility Location Board is a division of the New York State Gaming Commission.

Taft, Stettinius & Hollister has subcontracted with several entities to assist in the project, including financial advisory firm Christiansen Capital Advisors, investment bank Houlihan Lokey and gaming facility consultant Macomber International, Inc.

Staff of the New York State Gaming Commission is reportedly working on the request for application document that is scheduled to be issued this month by the Gaming Facility Location Board to prospective casino bidders. The application will include the license fee, minimum capital investment levels, credit from previous development for existing video lottery gaming facilities, and findings of local support.