Seneca Nation president says payments to New York State should be reduced

Seneca Nation president says payments to New York State should be reduced

Article brief provided by The Buffalo News
  • Thomas J. Prohaska, The Buffalo News
May 6, 2021 11:02 AM
  • Thomas J. Prohaska, The Buffalo News

The Seneca Nation of Indians should pay a lower share of its slot machine revenues to New York State in its next casino deal with Albany, the Nation’s president said Wednesday.

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The 2002 casino compact required the Senecas to pay 25% of their revenues from slots to the state, which in turn passed some of it along to the cities of Niagara Falls, Buffalo and Salamanca, all host communities for the Nation’s casinos.

President Matthew Pagels said the 25% figure is now unrealistically high in view of the gambling competition the Senecas now face, most of which didn’t exist 19 years ago.

“The gaming landscape has changed drastically here in Western New York,” Pagels said.