The gaming compact, flow of drugs, and raw sewage in the Alleghany River were topics of concern during a Thursday meeting of WNY lawmakers and the Seneca Nation.
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — The Seneca Nation of Indians held a summit for WNY lawmakers on Thursday morning in Niagara Falls.
Nation President J.C. Seneca, who took the oath of office 107 days ago, said it was important to get everyone in a room to discuss key issues that impact the Seneca Territory and Western New York.
We talked about various issues in regards to our drug problem on our territories, law enforcement, our lands issue, and our impact that facilities like the Seneca Niagara Casino, have on Western New York, and our contributions in regards to employment, the vendors and the dollars that are generated in these facilities over the last 20 plus years,” President Seneca said. “We wanted to make sure that we set a foundation for discussion to be able to now build on that moving forward.”
The foundation between the state and the Seneca Nation has been cracked for nearly two years, after an initial compact deal was announced in 2023. That deal was subsequently unannounced after pushback from Rochester-area lawmakers.
Since then, there has been no deal between the state and Seneca nation, and any progress on negotiations has been mostly boilerplate statements about the two sides working towards a new deal.
“From our side of the table, it certainly looks like there have been dragging their feet,” President Seneca said. “This has not been a priority out of the executive chamber, but it has to be. This needs to get done.”
Rochester lawmakers killed the compact deal in 2023 because the agreement would have allowed the Seneca Nation to build a casino in Monroe County. The Rochester delegation of the state legislature were left out of the loop on those details by the Executive Chamber, and when word got out towards the end of the session, the agreement was killed.
Since that deal was canceled in 2023, the state and Seneca Nation have signed temporary extensions of the previous compact agreement, and the payments to the state by the Nation are being held in escrow.
Last fall, the state advanced the host cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls, and Salamanca their share of casino revenue.
State and Seneca Nation sources have previously told 2 On Your Side that the Executive Chamber isn’t eager to reach a new deal because it is unlikely they will be receiving as much revenue from the Nation as they got under the previous agreement.
After the compact was signed by the two sides in 2002, New York State aggressively expanded its reach in the casino business within earshot of the existing Seneca Nation casinos. The state expanded Batavia Downs, and opened Del Lago Casino in Seneca Falls, roughly 2 hours from Buffalo.
President Seneca said a new deal would need to benefit the Nation more than the state.
“They’ve had a good deal for over 20 years,” Seneca said. “I think we’ve overpaid that in regards to the exclusivity fee that we’ve been paying to the state for 20 plus years. It’s time for Seneca Nation to get the better deal, to get a good bargain for us and for our people.”
2 On Your Side reached out to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office for comment but have not yet received a response.
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