New York’s Turning Stone Resort Casino may have violated federal and laws by allowing welfare recipients to use their electronic benefit cards to withdraw cash at the property.
The Oneida Indian Nation, which owns the casino, acknowledged the finding, which comes from a new audit by the state Comptroller’s Office.
An Oneida spokesman said the tribe had “identified two bank ATMs, both owned by an outside financial institution and located inside Turning Stone Resort Casino, that were permitting EBT funds to be withdrawn from them”.
At the same time, he disputed the state’s oversight in the matter, claiming it “does not apply on Oneida Indian Nation lands”.
“Nevertheless,” he added, “the nation shares the state’s belief that EBT funds should not be used for gaming” and has “instructed the bank to block all further EBT withdrawals from their ATMs at Turning Stone, and we will rescind the bank’s privilege to have them here until that is completed.”
The Public Assistance Office was the subject of the audit, not Turning Stone, although the casino was the only specific location cited in their report, which should not have happened, according to the office.
“The prohibition against the use of EBT cards in casinos is not applicable to casinos located on Indian lands, unless this provision is specifically addressed in a tribal-state compact,” a spokesman said.
The auditors examined 3,483 EBT transactions at 183 “potentially prohibited” locations statewide dating from March 2014 to March 2016. The transactions totaled $225,778. Fifteen welfare recipients with 20 or more “potentially” prohibited transactions were identified during the period. Almost half of those were at Turning Stone.
