Indian Gaming

Seneca Nation leaders went to the New York State Capitol on Tuesday to lobby lawmakers on gaming issues.

The tribe is in arbitration with the state over exclusivity provisions in its Class III gaming compact. The talks aren't completed but Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is already calling for an expansion of non-Indian gaming.

“He’s a bully. I’ll say it again – he’s a bully,” President Barry Snyder told The Buffalo News of Cuomo.

Cuomo has pressured two other tribes to share revenues in order to protect their regions from non-Indian casinos. Snyder said the state shouldn't try to alter the Seneca's arrangement.

“We don’t care where they build [casinos] as long as they don’t build in our exclusivity area. We don’t care. They can build all over the state,” Snyder told the paper.

The tribe has withheld about $600 million from the state due to concerns about exclusivity.

Get the Story:
Seneca leader in Albany calls Cuomo a “bully” (The Buffalo News 6/5)
Senecas lobby at Capitol for an end to gaming dispute (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle 6/5)
Senecas at Capitol lobbying for gaming compact (Politics on the Hudson 6/4)

Related Stories:
Governor says Seneca Nation gaming talks going 'nowhere' (05/24)