The Seneca Nation, a federally recognized tribe, has signed a new casino compact with New York State. The new compact allows the tribe to continue operating its three casinos for another 20 years. The Seneca Nation released the news on Wednesday, a few months before the previous compact expires in December 2023.
Seneca signed the previous compact with the state in 2002. There have been several fractures between the tribe and politicians since then. So, having signed a new compact left the tribe happy.
The tribe runs casinos in Niagara Falls, Buffalo, and Salamanca. It has invested almost$2 billion and employed over 3,000 employees across its casinos.
The details about the new compact are still not public. But, the President of Seneca Nation, Ricket Armstrong Sr, celebrated the new agreement.
New York Governor Was Absent
New York Governor Kathy Hochul did not contribute details for the new compact between the state and Seneca Nation. The governor had to withdraw from negotiations because her husband works for a Seneca’s rival.
William Hochul is the general counsel, secretary, and senior vice president at Delaware North. This gambling operator runs two racinos near the Seneca Nation jurisdiction.
Seneca Nation has always accused Governor Kathy of having a personal interest in the issues surrounding the tribe. Yet, the tribe and the state already had legal disputes before Kathy was a governor.
Kathy became governor of New York in 2021, while the tribe stopped paying slot machine taxes in 2017. The tribe cited that the 2002 compact had expired and could not continue paying 25 percent of slots earnings annually. This led to a legal battle for five years.
The Seneca Nation was waiting for directions from the National Indian Gaming Commission when Kathy took office. In 2022, Kathy had had enough, ordering the freezing of Seneca’s banking assets. The tribe had to cave, paying $565 million in taxes to cover the debt.
Another Historic Agreement
The president of Seneca Nation believes that having a fair compact was crucial to the future of the tribe and Western New York. He noted that the state’s negotiators and the tribe had come to an agreement in a framework that was fair. Armstrong hopes the two parties will move quickly toward finalizing the compact details and getting other approvals to enact another historic agreement.
One of the things the tribe agreed to was a referendum vote from the Seneca people. The tribe also agreed to a review from the Department of Interior. Governor Kathy will also sign off on the deal.
The Seneca Nation feels that the agreement came right on time. The state is looking to issue three new operating licenses to casinos downtown. Some of the companies bidding for the license include Bally’s, Las Vegas Sands, and Wynn Resorts.
There are several other billionaire investors interested in casino licenses. For now, both the New York State and Seneca people are happy.
According to a spokesperson for the Governor’s office, the state is happy to have reached a deal in principle on an unbiased compact.
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