BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Seneca Nation announced Wednesday that after several months of negotiations, it has reached an agreement in principle with New York State on a new gaming compact.
According to the Seneca Nation, the agreement in principle is for a new 20-year casino gaming compact. Its current compact was signed in 2002 and is set to expire in December.
“Negotiating a fair Compact was critical to the future of the Seneca Nation and the future of Western New York. Throughout months of negotiation, our focus remained on arriving at a fair deal that secured the future of our gaming operations, the vital funding our operations provide for critical services for our people, and the significant jobs and economic benefits they generate in Western New York. We made it clear that we would not settle for anything less.”
- Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr.
The Seneca Nation said the new compact must still be approved by a referendum vote of the Seneca people and must be reviewed and approved by the United States Department of Interior.
“Now that we have reached a point of agreement with the state’s negotiators on a framework that we believe is fair, we hope to move as quickly as possible toward finalizing the terms and securing all necessary approvals to enact what we believe will be another historic agreement that builds upon what we have accomplished over the past two decades."
- President Armstrong
