Indian Gaming

Columnist provides update on gaming deals with the St. Regis Mohawk Tribe, the Oneida Nation and the Seneca Nation:

Gov. Andrew Cuomo heralded his trio of agreements with gaming tribes as historic "wins" that would yield hundreds of millions of dollars for state coffers.

But more than a month after the last of the deals was announced, only one tribe to sign with Cuomo, the St. Regis Mohawks, has released funds, $30 million, to the state treasury as promised.

The biggest financial deal, with the Seneca Indian Nation — worth more than $267.7 million to the state, $139.8 million to financially strapped local governments in western New York and $209.8 million to the Seneca tribe — is still pending.

The Oneida tribe hasn't planned to provide any of the $50 million a year to the state from Turning Stone Casino's slot machines until the first quarter of next year as per its agreement. But the Oneida deal is clearly part of the casino bill, although the Mohawk and Seneca deals don't seem to be tied to the legislation. The legislation will give the Oneidas exclusivity on casino games in their midstate region. Millions of dollars in payments to Madison and Oneida counties come with the Oneida deal. Oneida officials say the tribe has no intention of packing the deal as an amended gaming compact — even though it calls for 25 percent of gaming machine revenues to go to the state — so that federal regulators won't need to approve it.

Get the Story:
James M. Odato: Gaming deals still not final (The Albany Times-Union 7/29)