Seneca Indians Receive Crucial Ruling To Keep Buffalo Casino Open

The Seneca Indians had opened up a temporary casino in Buffalo, New York while they were building their permanent one. Then, in the midst of the construction, they were hurt by the ruling of U.S. Federal Judge William Skretny.

The judge ruled that a gaming approval in 2007 was "arbitrary and capricious", even though the land the Senecas were building on was sovereign territory. The Seneca's must have been taken back by the decision of Judge Skretny, because they halted construction of the permanent casino soon after.

Tuesday, the tribe received an added boost of confidence that their casino was in no violation of any laws. The U.S. Department of Interior and the National Indian Gaming Commission both re-affirmed their positions that the Seneca's were doing nothing illegal by building the casino.

The tribe has been running a temporary casino in Buffalo since the summer of 2007, and they will continue to do so until the permanent casino is complete. They have no timetable for when the construction will once again proceed.

The Seneca's claimed when they stopped the construction that they were doing so for financial reasons. They now are indicating that when the timing is right, the construction will once again begin. They have no plans of stopping the project for good.

January 20, 2009
Posted By Terry Goodwin
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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