After months of negotiations and accusations of foot-dragging by New York Governor Kathy Hochul, the Seneca Nation announced that it has reached an “agreement in principle” with the state on a new 20-year gaming compact.
The tribe’s current compact, signed in 2002, is set to expire in December.
“Negotiating a fair compact was critical to the future of the Seneca Nation and the future of Western New York,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “Throughout months of negotiation, our focus remained on arriving at a fair deal that secured the future of our gaming operations, the vital funding our operations provide for critical services for our people, and the significant jobs and economic benefits they generate in Western New York. We made it clear that we would not settle for anything less.
“Now that we have reached a point of agreement with the state’s negotiators on a framework that we believe is fair, we hope to move as quickly as possible toward finalizing the terms and securing all necessary approvals to enact what we believe will be another historic agreement that builds upon what we have accomplished over the past two decades.”
The Seneca Nation has invested nearly $2 billion to build, develop and operate its three casinos in Western New York. The tribe is one of the region’s largest employers. Revenues from the tribe’s gaming operations fund services for the Seneca people, including healthcare, education, housing, Elders’ services, infrastructure, public safety and more.
The compact still must be signed by Hochul, and in the future, may require review by the New York state comptroller. State Senator George Borrello has introduced legislation that would authorize the comptroller to review any tribal-state compact and recommend approval or needed changes.
Borrello cited the need for this change by pointing to the Seneca compact negotiation, noting that Hochul has recused herself from negotiation because her husband works for Delaware North, a competitor to the tribe’s casinos, but she remains the only official that can approve the compact.
“The partnership between the Seneca Nation and New York’s executive branch has been strained for several years, largely over disagreements concerning revenue from Seneca casinos,” said Borrello, according to news site solozar.com.
“Those tensions, combined with the governor’s institutional role in the process which makes full recusal difficult, underscore the importance of a full and impartial review by the state comptroller. There is too much at stake, not only for the Senecas but for the state, to allow the process to be compromised by politics and conflict. This is a common-sense proposal that would improve the process and help ensure a fair outcome.”
