Senecas casino a job-killer?
The City Council of Batavia, New York, has joined four county legislatures in opposing plans by the Seneca tribe to build a Monroe County casino. Last week, council members joined the legislatures of Genesee, Orleans, Niagara and Wyoming counties in objecting to a Seneca casino in the town of Henrietta.
The Western Regional Off-Track Betting Corp. organized the opposition, according to the Medina Journal-Register. The OTB is owned and operated by 15 Western New York counties and the cities of Rochester and Buffalo. It includes 31 branches and the Batavia Downs racino. Municipal owners all get a cut of the profits.
Michael Nolan, COO of the OTB, says a tribal gaming hall would be a losing proposition for all of them.
“A tax-free, Las Vegas-style gaming facility in Monroe County would have a negative impact on the Western New York region,” Nolan said. “WROTB’s municipalities have a vested financial interest in the success of our operations, and we will continue to work cooperatively with each of them to oppose this expansion.”
The Senecas have hired Rochester-area developer David Flaum to coordinate and lobby for the casino. Henrietta Supervisor Jack Moore has confirmed the Senecas plan to buy up to 30 acres in Henrietta.
“When it is all said and done, they said the cost will be upward of $200 million,” Moore told the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle. Moore also acknowledged that the sovereign nation has exclusive gaming rights in Western New York, which could make it difficult for the community to block its development.
Former Rochester Mayor William Johnson, who opposes the proposed gaming hall, says it could force the area’s two racinos to close, and put hundreds of people out of work. Moore said he believes most people in the community would oppose the development.
The casino decision is “probably the most important decision the community has made in the last 50 years,” he said. “I’m personally not a casino lover. But the Senecas want the opportunity to present their plan to the community. I’m in a position where I have to provide the facts to the people.”
