Seneca Nation and New York Governor Give Conflicting Accounts of Gaming Compact Talks

The Seneca Nation of Indians and New York State are describing the status of their gaming compact talks very differently. Nation President J. Conrad (J.C.) Seneca said last week that negotiators had reached an agreement in principle on a framework that would end revenue-sharing payments to the state. Speaking in Buffalo on Monday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said no agreement exists, that negotiations are ongoing, and that the talks have been productive.

Under the original 2002 compact, the Nation shared 25% of its slot revenue with the state, and part of that money flowed back to the host cities of Buffalo, Niagara Falls and Salamanca, home to the Nation's three casinos. GamblingNews reports the earlier compact has expired and that the Nation has been paying what it owes into escrow while talks continue. President Seneca says the state refused to offer market protections or room to grow, and the Nation has long argued that competing racinos broke the exclusivity it was promised in 2002. The Nation hopes its framework can reach lawmakers in 2027, and any deal would still need approval from the Nation's governing bodies and New York legislators.

The dispute has moved into the governor's race. Republican candidate Bruce Blakeman, who criticized Hochul's handling of the talks, held a campaign fundraiser at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino on Monday with President Seneca, and some Seneca citizens protested the event over concerns about Blakeman's support for online prediction markets. Hochul said the state remains committed to supporting the three host cities, and added that the Nation's economic ventures must be lawful and not harm Buffalo businesses, a reference to a separate dispute over a Seneca gas station project in the city's Old First Ward.