Gambling Ruled Illegal Again At Seneca Casino, But No Closure

The battle between casino opposition in Buffalo and the Seneca casino they are trying to close down went through another round on Tuesday. District Judge Williams Skretny made another ruling, but nothing was really accomplished.

The judge ruled again that the Seneca casino in Buffalo is indeed illegal the same ruling that he rendered in July. Like in July, however, the judge failed to order the closure of the casino.

Opponents of the casino were hoping that the judge would order to have the casino closed. Now they will pin their hopes on the National Indian Gaming Commission, whom the judge held accountable for making that decision.

He claims that the NIGC has, "congressionally mandated obligations" to make the ruling whether or not the casino should be closed. He also said in his ruling that they have ignored their duty to make a ruling for long enough.

Citizens Against Casino Gambling i Erie County member Joel Rose feels like they have won the court battle today. "As far as granting our motion, evidently the judge has granted our motion, but has stopped short of laying out exactly how the NIGC should go about enforcing it," said Rose.

Despite the ruling, the Seneca's have continued to build a permanent casino that is costing $333 million. They feel like their appeals in court will be won.

August 26, 2008
Posted By Tom Jones
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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