New York’s Oneida and Seneca Indian nations have closed their six casinos, capping a shutdown of the state’s gaming industry that began with an order from Governor Andrew Cuomo last week closing the 12 commercial casinos and racinos.
“In this unprecedented time, it is critical for businesses to step up and make decisions to support the health and well-being of the community,” Ray Halbritter, CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises, said in a statement.
All full-time employees of the tribe’s three casinos, which are located in the greater Syracuse area, will receive an additional two weeks of coronavirus related paid time off, the statement said.
Following close on the Oneida announcement, the Seneca Nation said its casinos in Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca were shutting their doors until further notice.
The Oneida and Seneca closures appear to be voluntarily as it was not certain last week whether Cuomo’s order applied to tribal lands, which are sovereign entities under federal law and subject only to the authority of Congress.
It was not known at press time whether the state’s remaining Indian casino, the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino Resort near the Canadian border in Hogansburg, planned to join the shutdown.
