MONTICELLO, NY — Empire Resorts announced on June 30 that it had formally submitted its application to the New York State Gaming Facility Location Board for a license to operate a casino at the site of the former Concord Hotel in the Town of Thompson.

The gaming resort is to be called “Montreign Resort Casino,” and would be located at the site of the formerly announced Adelaar, which is owned by EPR Properties.

The investment for the casino and the other amenities at Adelaar, such as a water park, hotel and adventure park, redesigned golf course and other facilities, would total more than $1 billion.

Empire issued a press release which said, “The size of the project, including the amount of capital necessary to complete it, will vary based upon the number and location of competitive licenses issued by New York State in our region. The project has in place essentially all of its approvals and permits to commence construction immediately upon the awarding of a destination gaming facility license.”

The release said the company has the necessary funding commitments in place to move forward should it be awarded a license.

“After years of planning and community engagement, we believe our Montreign Resort Casino, and the non-gaming resort attractions that encompass the overall Adelaar master plan, is exactly the type of tourism-driven development envisioned by the Upstate New York Gaming Economic Development Act,” said Emanuel Pearlman, chairman of the board of Empire. “Importantly, given a process that permits either one or two casino licenses in our region, Empire has the advantage of committed financing in place, no matter the competitive environment. We are confident that if selected, our best proposal can fully rejuvenate Sullivan County and the entire Hudson Valley economy.”

The release included statements from local officials. “We’ve been working with Empire for nearly three years, and included in this filing are Sullivan County’s hopes and dreams of a better economic future,” added Sullivan County Legislature Chairman Scott Samuelson. “This casino project and the entire Adelaar resort development will drive significant tourism, and is clearly the economic boost that our county needs. We could not be more supportive of Empire and EPR’s plans.”

“This project will be a source of pride and true economic development for everyone in the Town of Thompson and Sullivan County,” said Supervisor Bill Rieber. “The Town of Thompson has granted this project full SEQRA [State Environmental Quality Review] approvals, making this application a front runner that can rapidly deliver the jobs and economic opportunity the Town of Thompson and Sullivan County so richly deserve.”