Seneca deal a $209M break
Agreement also gives tribe an extension on its gaming compact to 2023
By James M. Odato
Updated 12:20 pm, Friday, June 14, 2013
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Niagara Falls Mayor Paul Dyster, left, shakes with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, right, and Seneca Nation President Barry Snyder before they signed an agreement after a long dispute about casino revenue sharing in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Thursday, June 13, 2013. (AP Photo/The Buffalo News, Mark Mulville) TV OUT; MAGS OUT; MANDATORY CREDIT; BATAVIA DAILY NEWS OUT; DUNKIRK OBSERVER OUT; JAMESTOWN POST-JOURNAL OUT; LOCKPORT UNION-SUN JOURNAL OUT; NIAGARA GAZETTE OUT; OLEAN TIMES-HERALD OUT; SALAMANCA PRESS OUT; TONAWANDA NEWS OUT
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The Seneca Indian Nation proved on Thursday that it is possible to repeatedly call Gov. Andrew Cuomo a bully and still pocket $200 million.
Leaders of the tribe joined with Cuomo next door to the tribe's Niagara Falls casino to reveal a settlement in a dispute that has denied the state more than $600 million in revenue-sharing fees from the tribe.
The deal gives the western New York tribe an extension on its gambling compact to 2023, allows it to keep $209 million from the $617 million in unpaid state casino fees going back four years, and requires the Cuomo administration to get three racinos in western New York to stop calling themselves "casinos."
The deal comes after Seneca President Barry Snyder Sr. called Cuomo a "bully" in recent weeks after the governor suggested that a commercial casino might be sited in the tribe's gambling territory if it did not resolve the dispute. He also warned that the state might allow the tribe's gaming compact to expire in two years.
"We commend the governor for his leadership so that both parties could come together to reach a fair and reasonable resolution on our disagreements," Snyder said on Thursday, just a few days removed from describing the governor less favorably in interviews and a press release.
Cuomo responded that all parties can chalk up a win. "The Senecas had a legitimate dispute," he said. "The president of the Senecas fights very hard for the people he represents. I fight hard for the people I represent."
The deal calls for three racetrack video lottery terminal operations to stop calling themselves casinos, and the state Gaming Commission may look into a similar prohibition for the remaining six racinos, a state official said.
The Seneca tribe agreed to resume paying 25 percent of slot machine revenues to the state to protect its gambling territory, about $135 million a year. The state will get $408 million in back payments and will give $140 million of that to the host communities that normally get a cut of the fees.
The deal follows agreements with the Mohawk and Oneida tribes, who will secure exclusive rights to operate casinos in their regions. As a result, three large swaths of New York would be unavailable for casino expansion if the state constitution is changed to allow for such gambling. Cuomo is pushing for an amendment for up to seven more casinos statewide, with the first three in the Capital Region, Southern Tier and Catskills.
jodato@timesunion.com • 518-454-5083 • @JamesMOdato
The Seneca Indian Nation proved on Thursday that it is possible to repeatedly call Gov. Andrew Cuomo a bully and still pocket $200 million.
Leaders of the tribe joined with Cuomo next door to the tribe's Niagara Falls casino to reveal a settlement in a dispute that has denied the state more than $600 million in revenue-sharing fees from the tribe.
The deal gives the western New York tribe an extension on its gambling compact to 2023, allows it to keep $209 million from the $617 million in unpaid state casino fees going back four years, and requires the Cuomo administration to get three racinos in western New York to stop calling themselves "casinos."
The deal comes after Seneca President Barry Snyder Sr. called Cuomo a "bully" in recent weeks after the governor suggested that a commercial casino might be sited in the tribe's gambling territory if it did not resolve the dispute. He also warned that the state might allow the tribe's gaming compact to expire in two years.
"We commend the governor for his leadership so that both parties could come together to reach a fair and reasonable resolution on our disagreements," Snyder said on Thursday, just a few days removed from describing the governor less favorably in interviews and a press release.
Cuomo responded that all parties can chalk up a win. "The Senecas had a legitimate dispute," he said. "The president of the Senecas fights very hard for the people he represents. I fight hard for the people I represent."
The deal calls for three racetrack video lottery terminal operations to stop calling themselves casinos, and the state Gaming Commission may look into a similar prohibition for the remaining six racinos, a state official said.
The Seneca tribe agreed to resume paying 25 percent of slot machine revenues to the state to protect its gambling territory, about $135 million a year. The state will get $408 million in back payments and will give $140 million of that to the host communities that normally get a cut of the fees.
The deal follows agreements with the Mohawk and Oneida tribes, who will secure exclusive rights to operate casinos in their regions. As a result, three large swaths of New York would be unavailable for casino expansion if the state constitution is changed to allow for such gambling. Cuomo is pushing for an amendment for up to seven more casinos statewide, with the first three in the Capital Region, Southern Tier and Catskills.
jodato@timesunion.com • 518-454-5083 • @JamesMOdato
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