Indian Gaming > New York candidates question Seneca Nation casino

May 01, 2006

New York candidates question Seneca Nation casino

Two candidates for governor of New York say they have questions about the Seneca Nation's casino in downtown Buffalo.

Democrat Eliot L. Spitzer, the current attorney general, said the casino -- and Indian issues in general -- should be revisited. Spitzer has vowed to go after tribes and force them to accept state taxes if he is elected.

Republican John J. Faso said he is skeptical of the casino. He sits on the Buffalo control board and questions the tribe's decision to market gaming to the local community.

The Seneca Nation has a compact with the state for three casinos: an off-reservation casino in Niagara Falls that already opened, an off-reservation casino in Buffalo and an on-reservation casino.

The Seneca Nation is the only tribe in the U.S. to have utilized the land claim exception in the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act to open a casino on non-reservation land.

Get the Story:
Spitzer, Faso air views on casino (The Buffalo News 4/29)