A foundation that is backing a lawsuit against the Seneca Nation made $2.1 million by selling stock in Harrah’s Entertainment, one of the world's largest gaming companies. The Margaret L. Wendt Foundation bought 60,000 shares in Harrah's in 2003 and sold them in 2006 for the hefty profit. That was the year the foundation agreed to finance the lawsuit against the Buffalo Creek Casino in downtown Buffalo. “You can’t have it both ways,” lawyer and blogger Alan Bedenko told The Buffalo News. “It’s either bad or it’s not bad. If the Wendt Foundation has a philosophical belief against the casino in Buffalo, I guess it should explain why it’s not bad everywhere.” Bedenko revealed the connection on BuffaloPundit earlier this month, after Judge William M. Skretny ruled that the casino site doesn't qualify for gaming under the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Opponents say gaming is bad for the community. The tribe has refused to close the casino and the Department of Justice says IGRA regulations that were finalized in May protect the site. Get the Story:
Casino investment helped fund Wendt Foundation’s gambling suit (The Buffalo News 7/26)
The Casino Connection (WGRZ 7/27)
Judge asked to allow feds to decide on casino (The Buffalo Evening Observer 7/28)
