Sunday, April 16, 2006

Empire Resorts, Inc. ("Empire") today announced that its partner, the St.
Regis Mohawk Tribe, was notified that the Department of the Interior's
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) has completed its review of the Environmental
Assessment (EA) for a proposed transfer of land into trust for a casino at
the Monticello Raceway site. This review identified certain items in the EA
that need to be enhanced and/or modified; once such concerns are addressed,
a final modified EA will be submitted to the BIA for review and approval.
David P. Hanlon, Empire's President and CEO, commented, "The list of items
from the Department of the Interior is consistent with our expectations and
provides a definitive roadmap for moving forward with the environmental
assessment. We have already begun work on all remaining items - such that we
can obtain a modified EA as soon as possible."