Seneca Nation Settles Major Casino Dispute in New York

Seneca Nation has come to a settlement agreement regarding casino revenue share payments in New York.

Seneca Nation of Indians has come to a settlement agreement in New York over a long-running dispute regarding its casino revenue contributions to the state. The tribe will pay almost $500m worth of revenue share that it has held back since the beginning of the dispute back in the early months of 2017. In return, the tribe has requested a new state gaming compact that would give it more control over the operations of its casinos.

The Seneca Nation and New York have a gaming compact. The tribe has three casinos in Salamanca, Niagara Falls and Buffalo. It receives 25% of the revenue from slot machines and video lottery machines. A portion of this is given to the host city of each casino. Since 2002, Senecas have contributed $1.4bn to New Yorkers and invested over $2bn in casino development.

Seneca Nation settles the payments dispute with the New York state. Governor Kathy Hochul is pleased with this and looks forward to discussions about a new gaming compact. The tribe wants to build upon the existing "strong relationships" with cities hosting its casinos.