NICHOLS, N.Y. — Tioga Downs Casino Resort on Dec. 29 started operating the casino 24 hours per day every Friday and Saturday.

The casino will operate from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. Sunday through Thursday. Its Coasters Sports Bar will be open on a 24-hour schedule on weekends.

Since opening the new casino in December 2016, Tioga Downs says it has expanded its gaming offerings to include 944 slot machines, 23 table games and a luxurious 12-table poker room, which is now affiliated with the World Series of Poker, the resort said in a news release.

The Tioga Downs casino steadily generated between $5.4 million and nearly $6 million in gross gaming revenue (GGR) per month between April and October, according to data from the New York State Gaming Commission. Tioga Downs’ average monthly GGR during that period was $5.75 million.

The new Tioga Downs Hotel — which spans six stories and has 161 rooms, an events center, and other amenities — opened to guests on Nov. 6 and held a formal ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 1.

Tioga Downs which also offers live harness racing and live entertainment, started in 2006. Jeff Gural owns it as well as Vernon Downs in Vernon.

Contact the Business Journal News Network at news@cnybj.com

New York chicken farms produced 37.1 million eggs in November, down slightly from 137.4 million eggs in the year-ago period, the USDA recently reported.

The total number of layers in the Empire State averaged 5.42 million in November, down more than 1 percent from 5.5 million in November 2016.

New York egg production per 100 layers totaled 2,528 eggs in November, up over 1 percent from 2,498 eggs a year prior.

In neighboring Pennsylvania, farms produced 692.4 million eggs in November, up almost 3 percent from a year earlier, the USDA reported. 

Nationally, U.S. farms produced nearly 8.72 billion eggs in November, slightly higher than in the year-ago month.

UTICA — First Source Federal Credit Union and the Masonic Medical Research Laboratory were among the five 2017 Business of the Year Award winners presented by the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce.

The chamber honored the winners during a luncheon held Dec. 13 at Harts Hill Inn in Whitesboro.

Scott Davis, president and chief concept officer at CoreLife Eatery, served as the keynote speaker at the event. About 350 people attended the luncheon.

The 2017 Business of the Year Award winners were:

For-Profit Business with 50 Employees or Fewer: Site Seeker, Inc.
For-Profit Business with Over 50 Employees: Observer-Dispatch
Not-For-Profit with 50 Employees or Fewer: Masonic Medical Research Library
Not-For-Profit with Over 50 Employees: First Source Federal Credit Union
Catalyst Rising Business Award: Kessler Promotions

The Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce said the winners were selected from among 15 finalists, or three per award category. The chamber says it evaluated and selected the finalists based on criteria that included: 

1) Staying power, response to challenges, product(s)/ services(s) and innovation; growth within their industry; 
2) Commitment to the Mohawk Valley region, including longevity in region; community involvement; public service; business leadership; and 
3) Involvement in the Greater Utica Chamber of Commerce.