OTB pays 0,000 to the county each year
Niagara County lawmakers have formally come out against the expansion of casino gaming by the Seneca Indians in Monroe County.
In a unanimous vote January 23, Niagara County legislators adopted a resolution officially opposing a plan to build a $150 million tribal casino near Rochester. They say the planned casino would adversely affect operations at Western Regional Off Track Betting, which employs 500 people and pays $250,000 each year to the county. The OTB is owned and operated by the cities of Rochester and Buffalo, as well as 15 counties including Niagara and Monroe.
Lawmakers in Orleans and Wyoming counties have also passed resolutions opposing the tribe’s proposal.
The Senecas recently hired Rochester-area developer and lobbyist David Flaum to lead the charge for a new casino, which they would likely develop in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester.
The Senecas are looking to build a new $150 million, 65,000-square-foot casino, the Niagara Gazette reported; it would be their fourth gaming hall in the state, joining properties in Niagara Falls, Salamanca and Buffalo.
