Legal challenges continue for the proposed Lago Resort & Casino in Tyre, after a coalition of local opponents filed an Article 78 challenge to the casino project.
New York gaming regulators in December granted a full gaming license for the casino, but the Oneida Indian Nation and casino opposition group Casino-Free Tyre on January 19 filed an Article 78 petition demanding the state rescind the Lago casino’s gaming license.
The petition claims the New York Gaming Commission and Gaming Facility Location Board unlawfully issued the casino’s gaming license and wants it rescinded. The petition says there was no rational basis for issuing the license, the licensing procedure violated state law.
The tribe says the Lago casino violates the tribe’s right to equal protection through the likely removal of customers from the Oneida’s Turning Stone casino located about 70 miles east of the Lago casino’s location in Tyre.
Casino-Free Tyre claims argues the casino will have negative environmental impacts, increase local crime and traffic, and have an ill effect on the local community. It challenges the casino on environmental grounds, saying the environmental review process was not done properly.
The Seneca County Chamber of Commerce supports the casino project and says the Oneida Indian Nation is acting in its own self-interest.
“I applaud the Oneida Nation for finally recognizing the state of New York extends for miles down the Thruway and includes a burgeoning area known as Seneca County,” chamber President Jeff Shipley said in a statement.
“Apparently, this fact was overlooked during the past 20-plus years as the Oneida Indian Nation operated a monopolistic gambling enterprise without ever contributing to the growth and development of our community.”
Shipley criticized the tribe for running a nearby gaming operation without paying taxes or abiding by local ordinances as a sovereign nation, which he says hurts the local economy, and now inflicts more harm with the Article 78 petition, which will result in more taxpayer dollars spent.
“The Seneca County Chamber looks forward to the quick dismissal of this latest attack on our community’s continued renaissance,” Shipley said.
While the Lago Casino in Tyre faces continued opposition, a proposed Las Vegas-style casino in the Southern Tier is moving closer to reality.
State gaming regulators last year approved the proposed casino site at the Tioga Downs racino and are expected to grant a full gaming license sometime this year after completing background checks of principal parties involved.
