Senecas defend Buffalo casino against critics

Friday, April 21, 2006  

The Buffalo News is again questioning the Seneca Nation's land buys in light of the tribe's desire to acquire a "footprint" for its casino in downtown Buffalo.

The tribe acquired nine acres for its off-reservation casino in Buffalo. The land was taken into trust under the land claim settlement exception of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act.

The same day the application was submitted to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the tribe passed a resolution seeking to establish a "Buffalo footprint' of land it might want to buy. According to The Buffalo News, the footprint is several times larger than the casino site.

The strategy has the paper and some local officials and business leaders questioning the tribe. They are worried the tribe is trying to buy up more land by exploiting the land claim exception in IGRA.

The Buffalo News has previously documented the purchase of land for millions of dollars by the tribe's gaming corporation. The land is then sold to the tribal government for as little as $1. The tactic could be an attempt to ensure that the tribe doesn't run out of land claim settlement funds needed to satisfy the IGRA exception.

The tribe is on the defense for its land buys and the Buffalo casino in general. The tribe says it will be generating thousands of jobs and contributing to the local economy.

One of the tribe's attorneys has been Michael Rossetti, a former legal aide to former Interior secretary Gale Norton. As counselor, he participated in decisions affecting the Seneca Nation's off-reservation gaming enterprise.

Get the Story:
How much land is enough? (The Buffalo News 4/21)
Questions and answers about Seneca land deals (The Buffalo News 4/21)
Snyder: Casino positive for Falls (The Tonawanda News 4/20)
Senecas defend Buffalo casino against critics (AP 4/20)
Seneca Gaming CEO submits resignation (Buffalo Business First 4/20)
Senecas take to airwaves over city casino (Buffalo Business First 4/20)