Seneca Nation Officials Announce A Tentative New 20-Year Compact With New York State
Following several months of negotiations, Seneca Nation President Armstrong, Treasurer Pagels and Tribal Council announced that an agreement in principle has been reached with New York State for a new 20-year casino gaming Compact. The tentative agreement comes after several months of negotiations, which were at times tense. Specific terms of the framework agreed to today will be finalized in the coming days. The Nation’s current Compact, signed in 2002, is set to expire on December 9 of this year.
Revenue from the Nation’s gaming operations represents a significant portion of the Nation’s annual budget and fund important services for the Seneca people, including healthcare, education, housing, Elders’ services, infrastructure, public safety and more.
“Negotiating a fair Compact was critical to the future of the Seneca Nation and the future of Western New York,” said Seneca Nation President Rickey Armstrong, Sr. “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.”
The current Seneca Nation Compact agreement with New York State opened the door to an unprecedented wave of private investment and job creation in Western New York. Since then, the Seneca Nation has invested nearly $2 Billion to build, develop and operate its three casinos in Western New York – Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino in Niagara Falls (opened 2002), Seneca Allegany Resort & Casino in Salamanca (opened 2004), and Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo (opened 2007).
Today, the Seneca Nation stands as one of Western New York’s most powerful economic engines and one of the region’s largest employers. Between its casino facilities, other business enterprises and its government operations, the Nation is responsible for more than 5,000 direct jobs, more than $300 million in annual wages, and nearly $600 million in annual spending with vendors and suppliers. All told, the Nation has an annual economic impact of more than $1.1 Billion on the Western New York economy.
“We have come a long way, as a Nation and as a region, over the last 20 years, and we have made significant progress in our negotiations over the last several weeks, “President Armstrong said. “We are committing ourselves to getting this new Compact in place so that we can continue to transform life for the Seneca people and the economy in Western New York for generations to come.”
Nation and State representatives will work to finalize terms of a new Compact. The proposed Compact must be approved by a referendum vote of the Seneca people. Over the next several weeks information will be shared with Seneca members on what this tentative agreement entails and what it means for the future. From there, the final agreement must also be reviewed and approved by the United States Department of Interior before it can go into effect.
President Armstrong recognized the Seneca Nation Tribal Council and their negotiating team for their hard work and commitment to this very important process, especially Councilor Tim Waterman, Treasurer Matt Pagels and Acting General Counsel Carson Cooper who dedicated endless hours and effort to advocating for the Nation’s goals and priorities.
