River Schenectady Joins Dennis Politics Ditching Cage Wars

Posted: January 9, 2025, 02:04 pm.

Last updated: January 9, 2025, 02:10 pm.

Officials at Rivers Casino and Resort Schenectady in upstate New York are denying rumors that the resort has cut ties with a mixed martial arts (MMA) promoter over differing political opinions.

Cage Wars is an MMA promoter that brings fighters from around the world to Upstate New York. Since 2018, Cage Wars has held over 20 events at the River Schenectady Event Center. Live MMA fights have ended at the casino owned and operated by Chicago-based Rush Street Gaming.

Cage Wars' two largest corporate sponsors are owned by Amsterdam, NY, businessman Anthony Constantino – Stickler Mule and Stimulus. Sticker Mule creates custom stickers, magnets, buttons, labels and packaging. Stimulus is billed as a “happy social network” that live streams all Cage Wars battles.

Constantino, a Republican, donated to President-elect Donald Trump's 2024 campaign and spoke in support of the former casino billionaire at a Cage Wars event last fall. Constantino is now running for Congress to fill the vacancy in New York's 21st District after U.S. Representative Elise Stefanik (R) accepted Trump's nomination to serve as United States Ambassador to the United Nations.

Rush Street owner no Trump fan

Rush Street is controlled by billionaire Neil Bluhm, a staunch supporter of the Democratic Party. Bluhm gave nearly $1 million to Kamala Harris' campaign last year and more than $1 million to other Democrats.

Rivers Casino denied that breaking the Cage Wars arrangement was anything other than a business decision.

“This was purely a business decision as Rivers Casino continues to evolve our event lineup to provide new and exciting opportunities for our guests and community.” daily gazette Reading.

Cage Wars CEO Timothy Rankins said he was surprised to learn that Rivers was severing ties. But he says that the company has also left River Event Center behind.

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Constantino stepped down and found Cage Wars a new home at the historic Glens Falls Cool Insuring Arena. The multi-purpose facility in downtown Glens Falls has a capacity of approximately 4,800 people. The River Event Center could only handle 500 fans.

No regulated sportsbooks in the US take bets on Cage Wars fights, as it is a professional/amateur MMA league. These fights are also not overseen by the New York State Athletic Commission; most state gaming regulations make it a requirement for sportsbooks to include odds on boxing or MMA fights in New York.