Judge’s ruling may halt construction on casino in Buffalo
9th July, 2008
A district court in the US ruled that the land on which the Seneca Gaming Corporation has begun constructing a $333 million casino in downtown Buffalo, NY, is “not in accordance with the law.
Although the land is declared as “Indian country,” meaning that it is land set aside for Native Americans, it is not allowed to have any gaming on it, according to the court’s decsion
“The temporary Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino will continue to operate as usual while the Seneca Nation of Indians confers with the United States government as to the effects of today’s decision,” said Barry Snyder Sr., chairman of Seneca Gaming.
The casino, if allowed to continue construction and begin running, would provide the city with 1,000 new jobs that the citizens of Buffalo seem to be wanting.
“The citizens of Buffalo and their elected leaders have been eagerly awaiting the development of Seneca Buffalo Creek Casino as a signature project in downtown Buffalo,” Snyder said. “It was clear when nearly 1,000 people came to a job preview event in 2006 and has been echoed every day since we opened the doors to the temporary casino.”
It is unclear what the future of this casino will be and many believe this is just the beginning of a long battle to come. It seems inevitable for this case to be sent to a higher court for further review.
“The court’s decision is lengthy and requires more closer analysis,” said Maurice John Sr., president of Seneca Nation. “We will be reviewing the decision carefully, as we want to be sure that the court was aware of and considered all of the applicable federal law.”
By Michael
