One-fourth of casino win will go to the state
Starting this week, Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York, will offer all new cash slot machines.
The games officially begin March 4, according to the Syracuse Post-Standard. Some of the slot machines will be linked to machines in other U.S. casinos, thereby offering “multi-million dollar jackpot pools,” said the Oneida Indian Nation in a news release.
The nation will invest $15 million to replace its 2,000 slot machines with cash-play slots. The machines will take bills, not coins. Players will receive ticket vouchers from the machine when they’re done playing, which can be cashed out at machines or with tellers.
The change “will allow guests to enjoy all of the same, popular slot machines available at world-class casinos, and link Turning Stone’s slot machines to a system of jackpot pools across many other casinos,” the news release said.
Last year, the Oneidas made a deal with Governor Andrew Cuomo to pay the state 25 percent of slot revenues. According to Cuomo, the jackpot for the state could reach $50 million a year. That money would be shared with governments in the 10 counties in which the tribe holds a monopoly on gaming.
