By James Fink, Reporter, Buffalo Business First | Reprinted from bijournals.com | 12.13.19
(Photo: Rickey Armstrong Sr., Seneca Nation of Indians’ President, bet the Buffalo Bills with the points against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
JFFOTOGRAPHY)
Sports betting in Buffalo officially debuted at 11:14 a.m. Friday at the Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino. Rickey Armstrong Sr., Seneca Nation of Indians’ president, approached the window and placed a $40 wager on the Buffalo Bills beating the Pittsburgh Steelers Sunday night.
Besides Friday’s debut at the downtown gambling venue, Seneca Gaming will soon be taking sports betting at its casinos in Salamanca and Niagara Falls. All three should be operational within the next week, sources said.
“This is something we’ve been waiting for a long time,” said Holly Gagnon, Seneca Gaming president and CEO. “In many ways, it is historic and monumental for us.”
Sports betting in the U.S. became legal in 2018 and has been allowed in limited form in Ontario. Earlier this year, New York lawmakers approved sports betting legislation and across the state other casino operators began taking wagers.
Seneca Gaming leaders understood patrons wanted sports betting but waited a few extra months by design.
“We wanted to do it right,” Gagnon said.
Bets can be placed either at the window or one of nine electronic kiosks on professional sports such as football, hockey, baseball and basketball. Some betting on collegiate sporting events is allowed, but under state mandate, no bets can be placed on any Division I New York State college or university. That means no wagers will be accepted on Syracuse University or the University at Buffalo, for example, said Gavin Mercado, Seneca Gaming executive director of sports books and iGaming.
“We have to stay within the law,” Mercado said.
The operation will run on a 24/7 basis. Seneca Gaming has hired 40 new workers initially because of its sports betting operations. More will be hired later, Armstrong said.
Mobile betting — another in-demand option available in other states — may be added within the next year, Armstrong said.
“This is a new avenue for us,” Seneca said. “But, Buffalo is a big sports town and this is something we had to offer. We didn’t want people driving to Erie (Pa.) or Waterloo or Niagara Falls (Ont.) because we didn’t offer sports betting.”
